The Book of Retribution
by Rosa Angelicus
Summary: Zexion had always been a bit of a recluse, preferring books to people. So when a mysterious book appears in the bookstore he often frequents, he can't resist. He just didn't expect that with the book comes three vampires who have been looking for it for two centuries. [[BL, some gore, suggestive themes, swearing]]
1. It all started with a book

**A/N:** Hello!

So to long time readers of my work... um, my hand slipped? Don't worry though; **_Whispers_** will be getting its update soon but I thought I'd drop this now and see how it does.

I have to say, out of the fanfiction I've done so far, this is the one I'd change character names and descriptions and get it published. I actually think its better detailed than a lot of my previous works and the original fics I've been working on! _Strange..._

So, new year, renewed interest in fanfiction, new story. Fingers crossed this one goes well!

Thanking in advance for reading this. Reviews will be much appreciated! -Rosa xx

 _The Housekeeping Part_ \- there is BL/yaoi/slash/whatever you want to refer to it as (I'm sure you know this by now). There will be blood. There will be swearing. There will (most likely) be scenes of a sexual nature. And for once I'm actually going to _try_ and incorporate Disney characters rather than just have them as background characters like I normally do.

And no, my vampires do not sparkle like diamonds (I believe that's the quote?). I mean... really? What are _Twilight_ vampires made from? Carbon? (I am right in thinking that it's _Twilight_ vampires that sparkle? I never deigned to read the books in full (I read a paragraph...and I think I was rather insulted that it had as much attention as it did (I dont't know it was a long time ago when I did read that snippet...) but heard a lot about them when it was in its zeitgeist.)

What I _will_ be doing is playing around with the vampire mythos. It'll be fun!

* * *

It had all started with a book.

The book itself looked innocuous enough. Dark grey leather binding, silvery embossed letters that declared itself as ' _Ignes Fatui: Another Side_ ' and a rather fascinating sigil that looked like intertwined hearts that bled into sharp stylized crosses. Most curiously though was the Roman numeral 'VI' was also embossed on the spin of the book, as if suggesting that it was the sixth book of a series. For Zexion, a lover and collector of unusual books, this would have been enough for him to purchase it, but it was just _where_ he had found it that had made the book irresistible.

His cousin always had thought it was weird for Zexion to be hanging out at a second hand book store that specialised in the occult, but Zexion's small legion of online followers loved it when he wrote about any unusual books he found while scouring the shelves of his regular haunts. And he needed a pay check quickly; energy bills didn't pay for themselves after all. One of the upsides of being a freelancer on the online magazine scene he supposed was that once you had established yourself, work had a tendency to find you rather than the other way around, all pitches for work aside. On top of that, he genuinely was curious about the book, and after having a quick flick at the front, his interest was piqued; not a story or a history, but it looked like it was once someone's personal spell book – or 'Book of Shadows' to be more precise. That had questions popping up in Zexion's mind. Who would give away or sell off something so personal to them? And was this a sixth iteration... or a sixth book in a series of Books of Shadow that they had? And of course, what sort of person were they?

Faster than Zexion could have a chance to back out, he had purchased it and was soon taking it home to study in greater detail.

And that was pretty much how his once normal life turned upside down. All because he had purchased that damned book.

* * *

"It looks creepy." Zexion fought back the urge to roll his eyes as his cousin announced for what felt like the umpteenth time his displeasure about his latest acquisition. He had to admit that this was the first time that Sora looked more prepared to poke the book with a stick rather than touch it himself; previous 'creepy' books that he had bought usually ended up being fondled by Sora as if he were checking for booby-traps.

"So you said. It still doesn't change the fact that it's here." Zexion supped a little at his coffee, his clear aqua eyes glancing at Sora accusingly. "More to the point, how the hell did you get into my apartment... again?"

"Sheesh! You gave me a key remember?! You said that I was allowed to come here after school if I wanted to!" Sora frowned, his pout wrapping around the straw that was bobbing about in his soda can. Cactaur Cola, per usual. Zexion didn't know how the boy could drink the stuff given how full of sugar it was. "Not to mention that it's impossible to do anything when Vanitas is at home. You can't even game in peace without some sort of metal band screaming the roof off."

"Not exactly my problem if you can't get your brother to respect your occasional need for quiet." Zexion then sighed, putting his coffee down on the low table. He pushed a coaster over to Sora, silently reminding him to not put his can on the table. "Besides, I said you could come over if you needed somewhere quiet to do your homework. Not to goof off and criticise my book collection."

"Details, details," Sora waved him off dismissively. Though his deep blue eyes furtively flickered over to the book again before returning to look at Zexion. "...I don't have a good feeling about that book."

"Hm? Where is this coming from?" Zexion asked. Well this was new to him. Sora never used to offer something that ominous of an opinion about his choice of reading material.

"I don't know...call it a hunch. I think you ought to get rid of it quickly." Sora put his can down -on the coaster after a tutting cough stopped him from placing it directly on the table. "It's not just eerie. It's... it's got this really evil vibe coming off of it if you ask me." He then shuddered visibly. "I don't even want to touch it."

"It's just a book Sora," Zexion pointed out. He picked it up. "A mysterious book that I want to find out as much as I can about it, but a book nonetheless. Even if it has a link to the occult, you know I'm only interested in it from a purely academic level." He then laughed. "Besides, there's no such thing as the supernatural, right?"

Sora's hesitance then had been read as an annoyance that Zexion was treating him like a child. In hindsight, he probably should have read deeper into that silence that was followed by a non-committal, "I guess..."

"I'll be fine Sora," Zexion assured him. "Tell you what, I'll pour salt around my apartment tonight to keep the evil spirits away if that makes you feel better." He felt his mouth quirk into a rare teasing smile; it was the sort of expression he only really saved for his younger cousin. "Okay?"

Sora mumbled something; even with Zexion's exceptionally good hearing he could only make out something along the lines of "...as if... that easy...".

"You said something?"

"Oh! Nothing! Just make sure you get every nook and cranny! You wouldn't want to make it too easy after all!"

Zexion chuckled lightly into his hand. "It's a promise. If I do end up horribly mauled by some demon or other, you can have my creepy book collection."

"There is no way that either is happening!" Sora exclaimed, and Zexion couldn't tell what horrified Sora more: the prospect of his cousin being horribly mauled, or inheriting Zexion's vast collection of occult tomes.

 _Honestly_ , he had thought, _what a child he's being about it._

* * *

The sun was starting to set when Sora finally left Zexion's apartment, the teenager stuffing his hands firmly into his baggy trouser pockets while his trainers scuffed along the stairs. The autumn air was still, though the scent of fallen leaves was still hanging heavy. October wasn't too far away now... and with it the one night of the year people like him would dread.

"So... is it it?" a new voice queried just as Sora placed his feet on the street. Sora sighed, half in irritation about how infuriating it was to just not tell Zexion his life was potentially in danger... and half in frustration with himself for not thinking of a better way to get that book out of his cousin's apartment.

"It didn't just have creepy written all over it. It had it in neon lights," Sora grumbled, looking over to his companion. To anyone else, they would have just looked like two teens hanging out on a school night when they really should be thinking of heading home. But to those who knew... and who could look between the lines of normality and the paranormal... they'd be able to tell that Sora's friend was not human.

There was a reason why Riku chose to look like a teenage boy than go walking around in full daemon form. Though there was nothing he could do about his serpentine blue eyes; nothing but put contacts over them so to hide the fact that he had slit pupils rather than ordinary round ones. The daemon sighed, scratching the back of his head of silvery hair. "It's never simple is it..." he grumbled. They started walking. "Just our luck that it lands in our stomping grounds though... and so close to you on a personal level on top of it."

"Certainly makes the whole 'I need you to get rid of this book for your own safety' talk a bit more difficult given who it is we're talking about," Sora groaned lightly. "And I know if I swiped it he'd be asking me hard questions."

"Well, if you tried it you certainly would have made yourself the prime target," Riku pointed out. "You should have just played it cool. I bet you were all over it like a rash."

"Was not!" Sora shuddered as a cold gust suddenly blustered up his back. Riku didn't even flinch; daemons were impervious to the cold. "...there's also that teeny tiny problem of it's curse as well. There was no way in hell I was touching that."

"Didn't the Master explicitly state to you that there's no actual proof that that curse is real?" Riku reminded him.

"Yeah well I don't want to risk it! Can you imagine me having that creepy thing everywhere I went?!"

"You are literally the last person that book would want to follow around."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

* * *

He'd been only following that pair in hope of gathering a bit more information, but all that conversation had done was confirm that, yes, he had indeed messed up spectacularly and that he was in for it now. At least now that they were coming into twilight hours they could move a bit more freely than they could do during the day. It still didn't solve the problem of how he was meant to get the book quietly without any interested parties knowing, especially now when he was dealing with a good old fashioned mortal human.

He turned into the alleyway that had a good view of the building the book was in now, waving to his friend who had taken up watch while he had gone off on his recon. He was flicking his fire lighter off and on; obviously he was a little tense about how off course this once easy job had gone. "Well... how screwed are we?"

"Pretty damn screwed," he replied, pulling his black hood down to reveal his dirty blond hair. "The guy who bought it is a mortal, but his cousin's a hunter."

"Well shit."

"And he's got a daemon partner."

"Double shit." The lighter flicked closed. "Got a third to make it the charm?"

"Luckily that's where it ends." He sighed a little, looking over to the building. "...not really sure how to proceed if I'm honest."

"Flexible thinking Demyx," his friend grinned from under his hood. He could see the pointed canines of his teeth as the smile peeked out from the darkness. "We could either play into the dumb cliches and go full Dracula on his ass, or we charm the living daylights out of him. Or we try to use your handy little trick. You know, if there's enough water."

"I'd rather avoid giving him water damages or going full Dracula on him..." He grimaced at the thought of having to somehow get inside and terrifying the poor guy. "Urgh... did they send the wrong guy..."

"And this is exactly why you get all the crap from the others." He then jolted. "Hey... can you smell that?"

"Yeah," Demyx murmured, sniffing the air. Although subtle to the point of invisibility for humans, to creatures like them this smell was all too distinct. The smell of decay mingled with the tang of blood. "...what are Nobodies doing around here? And this early?"

"No clue," his friend replied. "But if there are Nobodies hanging about then we're going to have to put that human's safety as the priority."

Demyx nodded his head, and hoped that the Nobodies would just pass by for now.

* * *

Zexion stretched out as he finished off the article on his laptop, feeling his neck crack a little as he stretched out the stiffness. With a quick glance of the clock on his laptop, he realised he'd been at this article for about three hours since Sora finally left. "Forgot dinner again..." he muttered. With another big sigh, he got up from his desk and trudged over to his kitchenette, guessing it would be cup noodles again tonight.

He paused as he caught a glimpse of his new book on the low table. Come to think of it, he'd yet to have a proper look at it. He'd do it while waiting for his meal to be ready. He continued on, put the kettle on, and then returned to the low table, picking it up as he sat down on the sofa. "Alright then... let's see what you're about," he murmured, glad that he was alone in here. He was aware that it would appear a little odd to anyone seeing him talking to a book. He opened to the first page, frowning a little in annoyance.

 _The Master of the Book of Retribution is..._ After that, it was blank. "Well, we can at least ascertain that whoever wrote this clearly had an ego to call this the Book of Retribution," Zexion commented. "And call themselves the master of it." He didn't get the feeling that any of his online followers, or at least the ones who claimed that they were practising witches, were the kind of people that would be this egotistical in their own Book of Shadows. Still though, it'd be interesting to see what kind of spells this particular witch had put in their personal book.

He was about to turn the page at this point when a familiar sharp sting erupted in his fingers. "Ow! Another paper cut?!" he growled in annoyance, bringing his finger up just as a drop of blood fell. It plopped onto the page, followed by two more. "Well that's annoying," he grimaced while sucking on his finger. His annoyance though soon turned into alarm. "What... the...?"

* * *

Both of them had smelt it, causing them both to jerk in alarm. "You... you smell _that_ right?"

"As if I couldn't," his friend replied. "An X-class... here?!"

"Not just an X-class, but an X-class that's used magic," Demyx gulped. "Wait... you don't think...!"

* * *

Zexion could only watch in stunned silence as those drops of blood seeped into the yellowing page and wriggle up to the dedication like snakes. He must be hallucinating... he _had_ to be hallucinating. Too much work, not enough food. Surely! But still he couldn't tear his eyes away as the blood reached the dedication and started to form a name in his own handwriting.

 _The Master of the Book of Retribution is... Zexion Driscoll._

"What the hell is going on?!" He screeched in surprise just as the glass of his windows shattered. He didn't know why, but his first reaction was to grab the book and protect it. It made even less sense to him when he dared to look up, gasping at the sight crawling into his apartment.

Although the form looked human enough, the way the grey body coiled and wriggled about was _definitely not_ human. And the head! It looked like a mask, but when the zipper of it's mouth came undone, he was greeted with rows of grey sharp teeth. _I have to be hallucinating!_ He grabbed the closest thing to hand – the coffee mug he'd been using earlier – and launched it at the creature. The creature only contorted itself out of the mug's trajectory; it smashed on the wall. Zexion was on his feet just as a tendril-like arm whipped itself in his direction, his arm still firmly around the book as he dived out of the way. _A nightmare... this is crazy... these things aren't real! I'll wake up in a minute and be sprawled out on my desk!_ He managed to duck out of harm's way as the tendril whipped over his head again, grimacing as things clattered and smashed onto the floor. It was getting closer, it's sharp teeth glistening in a coat of saliva as it loomed over him. Zexion found himself rooted to the spot, willing his body to move but unable to, eyes locked on in horror as it got close enough that he could smell it's pungent breath.

"Not today buddy!" Zexion barely had time to process what was going on as a water spout seemed to appear out of nowhere and smack the creature away from him. "Sorry! Gonna be entering now without permission, etc. etc.!" the new voice called out from the window.

A hooded figure was now in the middle of his battered apartment, and the figure was moving over to put themselves firmly between Zexion and the creature. _This... this must be some sort of dream._ "That thing... it's..."

"Scary as hell. Yeah. I know." The figure turned, grinning at him. Although the hood partially hid his face, Zexion could see the grin and a few strands of sandy blonde hair... and the grin had fangs. "I can be scarier if I try." They then turned back to the creature that was starting to recover. "...I'll get this thing out of here. I'll be borrowing the water though." At his words, Zexion heard pipes bursting as water spouted out from all sorts of places; even the remaining droplets from Zexion's smashed coffee mug were bring pulled towards the figure.

 _This... this is some dream I'm having,_ was his first thought as all that water formed a ball in front of the hooded figure. _When I wake up from this, I need to remember as much about this dream as possible. Maybe I'll write a story about it._

"Hey... Dusk," the figure started, putting their hand into the ball. "Don't be mad, 'kay?" In an explosion of sound and movement, the water ball suddenly launched in a jet stream at the pouncing grey creature, punching it through the wall and into the street. "A-Ah... too much?" the figure laughed uneasily. "Sorry 'bout that. I was aiming for the window."

"OI, BUBBLEBRAIN!" a loud voice bellowed in anger from the street. "YA TRYIN' TO GET US INTO TROUBLE?!"

"Sorry! Sorry!" the figure called back. "My bad!"

Zexion could only stare at the hole in his wall. That... that had definitely sounded real. "Who... just who the hell are you?" he whispered, not sure what to believe at this point. He was still hoping this was all a very animated protracted dream. That's when he caught that horrible scent again... and heard something slither. He turned and saw that there was another one of those creatures. From the sound of it, so had the figure with him.

"Crap! How did that get in here?!" Zexion felt himself get grabbed by the waist. "Sorry for water damages and for not explaining what's going on but I got to get you out of here!"

"Wa-Wait!"

"No can do!" The figure was practically cradling him as they dashed towards the hole. Zexion wasn't even able to find his voice to scream as they were suddenly soaring into the street. He gripped onto book and figure tightly, exclaiming in shock when he heard the street crunch under them once the figure landed. The hood flew off at this point.

His -saviour? Possible kidnapper?- rescuer's sandy hair was styled in an odd manner. Something reminiscent of an 80s mullet, only with flyaway bangs. But it was his eerily bright teal eyes that had caught his attention; they seemed to be glowing. He looked down, beaming brightly at Zexion. "You okay? Not hurt or anything, right?"

"Uh..." Not one to be at a loss for words, Zexion found that his brain was failing him. Not really surprising given what had happened.

"Stop flirting and start fighting," the other voice growled. Zexion turned to see it was another figure, but unlike the young man that had saved him earlier, this figure seemed to have a much thinner, bonier body judging by the skin-tight fit of their outfit. It was also only now that Zexion realised that they were far from safe. Whatever that creature that had first attacked him was, it had brought company. The stench assailed his nostrils and he fought his hardest not to gag. "Geez... why do all the nice jobs turn icky for us eventually?" the gravelly voice of the figure grumbled.

"Bad luck?" the blond man suggested.

"Guess so." The creatures launched themselves with blood curdling screams. Zexion felt the blond flinch. The man in the hood didn't, just sighed in a long-suffering manner. "Whelp, time to get to work." There was a metallic sound, followed by a sudden explosion of heat. Zexion's eyes widened.

"Fire..." He didn't want to believe it, but fire was now engulfing the creatures, the putrid smell becoming worse as the grey, writhing bodies blackened.

"Demyx, I'm leaving our X-class friend here in your care," the hooded man said. He reached down to his belt, where two wheels of spikes had been resting. "I'm gonna cook a few more of these wannabes."

"Just watch yourself." The blond man lifted his hand up again, and once more water from every possible source was coming towards them. Mostly from the sewers. He half expected the blond man to start shooting water jets at the creatures again, but instead he lifted his hand high above his head. As if answering to some silent command, the water pooling around them shot up, creating a barrier. "There we go. Safe so long as I can keep it up."

"Would you tell me what on earth is going on?!" Zexion demanded.

"Ah... yeah... about that... that might take a while to explain," the blond grinned uneasily. Zexion noticed through the haze of water that two bright red lights were speeding about, with the sound of roaring fire following after them. Sometimes brighter lights would appear like a pillar. "Might be better to just let Axel do his thing... I mean, he'll make quick work of these guys..." He seemed to be talking more to himself than to Zexion at this point. "...meh, better him than me. I don't like getting sweaty anyway."

"Hardly answers my question," Zexion frowned.

"All I'm saying is that don't you worry," the blond said in an overly cheery voice. "You'll get your answers as soon as my friend finishes off the Dusks... ah! Those are the creatures that are attacking us, but more on them later, 'kay? Right now I gotta make sure you're protected. Especially given that... well... the circumstances have changed a bit."

"You're making less and less sense." He tried to shrug off the man's arm but he was deceptively strong; Zexion was by no means weak but he was struggling to even lift it away.

"Hey come on now, don't be mad. I went to a lot of trouble to make sure that you-" He paused suddenly, as if he had sensed something. "Uh oh." Zexion yelped as Demyx suddenly lifted him up again and launched out of their barrier. The water crashed onto the ground, and where they had been was a pile of those Dusks. "HEY LAVAHEAD! WORK FASTER WILL YA?!"

"WHY DON'T YOU ACTUALLY HELP ME OUT HERE BUBBLEBRAIN!" his friend -Axel wasn't it?- demanded. Zexion could now see that his weapons were completely covered in fire but he himself seemed unaffected by their ferocious heat. He was slashing his way through Dusks as if they were paper, bursting into flame as he went.

Demyx frowned. "Ugh... sweaty work... fine..." His hand jerked up, water once more pooling to his hand before being used as if it were a cannon. Jet after jet hit Dusks, causing any who came close to them to lose limbs or find themselves with huge holes in their bodies.

Zexion could only watch, not even blinking as the destruction happened around them. "What is going on...?" His hold on the book tightened. _This...? Was it because of this book?_

"Dammit! There's no end to these punks!" Axel's voice roared in annoyance.

"Keep going! There can't be too many more of them!" Demyx called back. Even though they were ringing in his ears, at the same time they felt so far away as Zexion looked down at the book.

 _All this because of a book? Just what the hell is it?_ He didn't know at what point his mind started to accept the possibility that this might not be a dream... or if his mind had started to run with it and weave some sort of explanation into the dream's narrative. All he could think of was trying to make sense what this book... this Book of Retribution... was all about. _Think Zexion... you're in the middle of a fight between two... wizards? Maybe they are wizards... and a hoard of... I guess they're undead? Well, they called them Dusks, but it seems they're from a bigger group... possibly? Now why would a book warrant this much chaos... because it's not just some spell book... it's a grimoire... 'Retribution'..._ He turned the book in his hands so that the weaving sigils and title were facing him. _'Retribution' primary meaning is "punishment on someone as vengeance for a wrong or criminal act" according to the Oxford Dictionary... this might mean that the grimoire is extremely powerful..._ His hand moved to take the cover edge. He hadn't even realised that his feet had started to move. _I could use it... I could use it against them..._

* * *

Demyx winced as one Dusk got a little too close for comfort, feeling himself grow tired. He must have been using too much energy again... and it looked like Axel was starting to slow down as well. He guessed that they were getting desperate to send this many low ranking Nobodies to find the book. Maybe it was time to honour the most noblest of traditions of a tactical retreat. He was about to get a hold of Zexion but found that he was grabbing at air. "Huh...?" He glanced to the side of him, noticing only now that Zexion had moved ahead of him with a trance-like expression on his features. The shorter man's normally aqua eyes had gone white and the book was opened. "Crap!" Was the book already trying to influence him?!

A Dusk launched itself at Zexion. Demyx didn't even think about it as he threw himself between the Dusk and the human. "ZEXION!"

* * *

 _How does he know my name...?_ had been the first thought in the haze. But reality seemed to come crashing back down to him as he watched the blond man throw himself in front of him, taking a direct hit from a Dusk that had been about to attack.

The blond man lifted his hand and a powerful water jet sent the Dusk flying backwards into obliteration, taking a few more down with it.

The blond man bent over a little, a hacking cough leaving him as his body jerked in agony. Zexion could see in the dim street light that he had coughed up deep red blood.

The blond man fell to his knees, still coughing, and it was only now that Zexion could see that part of his black jacket had been torn to shreds. He then lifted his head slightly, looking over his shoulder at Zexion. "You okay...?" he managed to get out, blood seeping from mouth.

The book clattered to the floor as Zexion put his hands over his mouth. _What... what was I doing...? How did this happen?!_ He moved to catch Demyx as he seemed to keel over. "Hey! Hey! Get up!" But it seemed useless; Demyx was grimacing in pain, a large gaping wound seeping blood on the lower right of his abdomen, the jacket and shirt around the area shredded. Zexion tried to use the tattered rags to stop the bleeding after laying him down, his mind going into autopilot. "Demyx right?! Come on! You have to hold on!"

"Watch out!" Zexion looked up to see more Dusks coming for them, but Axel rushed at them, his weapons still on fire as he put himself firmly between the Dusks and them. He looked like he was starting to struggle judging how hard he was breathing, but he was practically oozing with determination. "Man... useless hunter kid and his equally useless daemon partner... would've thought that they'd be here by now... unless something is purposely blocking their senses..." Zexion would have thought this was the mutterings of a madman if the circumstances themselves weren't so bizarre. "...where's a miracle when you really need one...?" Zexion was about to ask what he meant when at that point street lights started going out. Axel in response to this was to laugh a little. "Well whaddya know... ask and you shall receive..."

It was as if the whole world had gone quiet, with only footsteps walking through the puddles and debris left behind by the fire and water wielders echoing in his ears. The Dusks seemed to be hesitant, wriggling and writhing a short distance away from them as if they were considering to attack or not. Axel lowered his stance; his weapons were burning brighter than ever. "What's the matter? Lost your nerve now that _he's_ here?" he taunted.

If Axel had intended to provoke the Dusks into attacking, it certainly worked on one brave Dusk. It charged at him... and it was at that moment that Zexion felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

It had been faster than anyone could see. In a shot of blue, electric light, another figure had appeared, slicing the Dusk in two while an electrical barrage went hurtling straight for the group of Dusks that had stayed behind. Zexion could tell that this new figure was clearly very powerful... the energy that had arrived was causing everything to go static and the remaining Dusks were wriggling about in a panic.

"Disgusting things..." came a low, male voice. The figure stood up to his full height, letting his weapon fall to his side. It was an odd thing... it looked like a sword, and yet the handle definitely was that of a revolver. "...how's Demyx?"

"You're in time. But those Dusks are going to cause us problems if we let them escape," Axel reported. "I've got enough energy left to take them out if you'd like."

"No need," the man said, looking over his shoulder. In the dim light, Zexion could only just make out the features, but he could see an eye that was practically glowing silver. "You protect Demyx, the human and the book. I'll take out the trash." He began to approach the quivering group, prowling like a lion on the hunt for his prey.

Once again Zexion was left wondering just what sort of fever dream he must be in. The newcomer was moving faster than Zexion could keep up, sending most Dusks flying while others ended up being crushed under his heel. He swore he heard gunfire yet there didn't seem to be bullets anywhere; instead his sword was glowing between ice blue and electric yellow.

The massacre was over almost as fast as it had begun, with only one solitary Dusk left quivering in fear, clearly too scared to run for it. Zexion held back a gasp as the merciless man with glowing silver eyes thrust his weapon into the poor creatures head. He flicked it off as it were just some dirt on it.

"Overkill much Leon," Axel grumbled. "You could have left me one or two."

"You're losing energy and Demyx is currently incapacitated. It was more efficient to get rid of them all in one fell swoop." The man -Leon- approached them now. There seemed to be some sort of black spattering on his face and across his white shirt... Zexion concluded that this was probably the blood of the Dusks. He felt Leon's eyes on him. "...I'm assuming that the book's curse took effect."

"Yup," Axel sighed. "Though right now that's not my biggest worry here. You know... our blood brother is kinda bleeding out from trying to protect the human from getting himself killed."

"I noticed that." Leon's gaze was still fixed on Zexion. "...I also smell X-class blood."

"That'll be the human too." Axel then paused. "Wait a minute... you're not seriously suggesting..."

"We don't have any better options right now. We can't move Demyx far in his state." Leon bent down onto his haunches, his gaze still unbroken. Zexion couldn't remember if either of them blinked or not. "...you've been trying to stop him from bleeding out."

"Y...Yes," Zexion answered lamely.

"What if I told you could do something to make sure he has a full recovery?" the man asked him calmly. "Something only you could do right now."

Zexion hesitated, glancing down to Demyx who was groaning as if under torture. The wound was deep... it was enough to make him worry that he might bleed out completely. _And it'd be my fault..._ "What... what would I have to do?"

"Offer blood." Zexion baulked at the matter-of-fact delivery of the answer. The man raised an eyebrow. "Surely by now you've gathered that we're vampires, right?"

"Uhh... Leon," Axel interjected, "It's been dark, he's seen something he probably thinks is magic, and I doubt he's seen the dentistry in all this." _Dentistry... the fangs... Demyx has fangs..._ "He's probably thinking we were wizards or something. But hey, maybe you're right O Supreme Overlord."

"Knock it off Axel," Leon frowned heavily. He then turned back to Zexion. "Well?"

"You're... vampires?"

"Yes."

"Which means you drink blood."

"Preferably if its volunteered human blood," Leon answered. "We don't force others to do it if they don't want to."

"And you're saying... that Demyx will pull through if I volunteer my blood?"

"Hey, Leon are you sure about this?" Axel queried.

"If it becomes an issue, I'll take the responsibility. Right now Demyx is my primary concern." Leon's lips, which had been in a steady stoic line, finally quirked in one corner into what Zexion supposed was a smile. "Will you do it?"

Zexion glanced between Leon, Demyx and the book. _All this because of a book..._ He then surmised that since this was a dream, surely he was going to wake up from it in a moment. Surely... right...? "...I'll do it." He reached up for the roll of his turtleneck, but Leon took his wrist instead, pushing the sleeve up with a swift jerk. It caused Zexion to flinch in surprise.

"We don't require the neck. The wrist is good enough." Leon looked over to Axel. "Get Demyx to sit up."

"Yeah yeah, don't need to tell me that." Axel moved behind them, hauling Demyx into a sitting position carefully while grunting, "Come on buddy... up you go." Demyx was practically like a ragdoll at this point, despite clutching at his side. Leon then moved Zexion's wrist to Demyx's mouth.

"Just bite Demyx," Leon ordered. "Don't worry about consequences for now." Zexion wondered what Leon meant by that. Was there something special about his blood? He had been referred to as an X-class a few times now...

Zexion gasped in shock when he felt fangs sink into his wrist at that exact moment, his eyes watching in horrified fascination as Demyx latched on. It was an odd sensation... he could feel blood rushing up into Demyx's mouth once his fangs detached, yet it wasn't completely unpleasant. Though he was starting to feel a little light headed. "Easy Demyx... don't rush it," Leon's voice rumbled assuringly. "Don't drink him dry... we're going to need him alive." Zexion's eyelids drooped... he felt dizzy... the street seemed to be swaying under them. _Ah... this must be it... the moment I finally can wake up..._ He smiled weakly. _Yes... waking up... from this long nightmare... this long horrible nightmare... need to remember as much as I can... so I can write a book out of it..._ Demyx finally released Zexion's wrist. The last thing Zexion remembered thinking before he had passed out was, _at least this was all just a dream._

* * *

Leon just about managed to pull the short man back to him before he completely passed out on the floor, tutting a little when his head of slate hair thudded against his chest. "Well, at least that answers that question about just how much experience he has with vampires."

Axel nodded his head, throwing Demyx's arm around his shoulders as he attempted to lift the blond up onto his feet. "Still... an X-class was here this whole time and _no one_ realised? Seems a little suspect to me."

"For now I'm just grateful he was here and he was untouched." Leon raised the human's punctured wrist up and licked along the puncture wounds so to encourage them to seal up. Demyx obviously hadn't thought of it in his condition. "We'll have to tread carefully from here on out. Both of them need their rest."

"What are we gonna do if it gets out that Demyx touched the X-class first?" Axel asked. Leon by this point had slid an arm under the human's knees and the other supported his back; the Book of Retribution was in the human's lap. He lifted him up with ease. _Not that it was hard anyway,_ the vampire thought, _he's a little underweight as it is._ "I mean... your Gramps is a stickler for the rules."

"If it gets out, then I'll just have to tell him that it was an emergency and I ordered it. There's not much he can do about that even if he is my grandfather." Leon looked over to the building where the most damage was. Luckily it seemed that if there were humans up that they hadn't really thought much of the explosions or the lights going off; humans were probably the most oblivious creatures in all creation after all, willing to explain things off with logical arguments such as power cuts and neighbours watching loud TV shows. Though he knew that they'd have to get The Coven involved to hide the events of tonight. There was no hiding an apartment that had a massive hole in its wall and broken windows. "We'll use the apartment. I'll stay here and guard the pair. You go and inform The Coven what happened. No doubt they'll send word to the clan on our behalf."

"Sounds good to me... I hate to admit this, but I don't think I could go through another swarm like that on my own."

Leon nodded his head in understanding... though he didn't fancy his chances against a small army like that either. Dusks were the easiest to get rid of, but in large numbers he was sure he'd be struggling... and he was the highest ranking vampire of the three. "They must be getting desperate for them to send that many Dusks for it..."


	2. Dreams, reality, fact, fiction

**A/N:** Wow! That went better than I had expected :O

Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. There's not much more I can add at this point other than I hope you enjoy this new installment (though it's a little heavy on story background, but necessary). I love you all, and would love to hear from you guys.

-Love from Rosa xx

* * *

Zexion's eyes flickered as sunlight streamed into his bedroom through his curtains. He couldn't remember when he got into bed... but he couldn't help but feel glad to see his familiar off-white walls and the bookshelf filled with all the books he had collected over the years. He stretched as he sat up... had the bed always felt this small? And what a dream... he still could remember it in great detail.

Vampires. Dusks. A man that could control water and another who could control fire. A man with a glowing sword-revolver hybrid who moved like lightning. And it all had started because of a book that had, with just three drops of blood, declared him to be its master. He was _sure_ that there was a novel in that. He'd have to start writing it down.

He flinched when he heard a murmur. A voice that was not his own. Slowly, he dared to look down...

He yelped and fell out of bed with a _whump_. He heard footsteps quicken over to his bedroom door; it swung open and revealed a young man with shoulder-length chocolate hair and a noticeable scar running across his nose. Zexion stared at him... and then back at the sandy blond man lying completely still in his bed... then back to the man at the door. His mouth opened as if to say something but no words came out.

"Honestly... I thought there'd been a Dusk attack..." the man at the door sighed. He came over to Zexion, bending down on one knee. "How're you feeling?" he asked, a subtle note of concern laying hidden in an otherwise stoic voice.

"I'm still dreaming... I must be..." Zexion mouthed, his voice hoarse with disbelief. Then he remembered that he'd been drunk from in his dream and he looked down at his wrist. He was greeted by the sight of healing scabs in a distinctive pattern... it looked like the shape of a mouth. A mouth with fangs. "I must be dreaming..."

"How long is he going to insist he's dreaming?" groaned a second, gravelly voice. Zexion glanced up again to see that there was now a third man, except this one had a shock of danger red hair that had been styled into long spikes and was close to looking skeletal.

"What my friend here is trying to say is that this is real," the brunet said calmly, though he glared over his shoulder at the red-haired man. He shrugged his shoulders. "You aren't dreaming. You haven't been dreaming at all."

"Prove it," Zexion frowned. He then winced when he suddenly felt his arm being pinched hard between the strong thumb and finger of the brunet's hand.

"I'm aware that this is a lot to take in," the man continued. "And I'm sure that might not be enough to prove to you that you are in reality but... believe me when I say it is." He then nodded over to the blond in Zexion's bed. "And I owe you one for helping Demyx. You saved his life."

Zexion looked at the brunet with uncertainty, his mind piecing together that this one had been the -dare he believe it?- vampire who had massacred those things within minutes of arriving on the scene. Although they didn't look silver now, Zexion couldn't help but look at the man's eyes; they were more of a steely blue with flecks of silver around the pupil. His eyes then glanced down to the vampire's thin lips, hoping to see fangs but they were firmly closed. He didn't know why he had wanted to see them... maybe in hope that seeing them would confirm whether or not this was a dream. The brunet tilted his head slightly in question. "Nothing to say?"

"...you're... you're really vampires?" Zexion asked carefully.

In answer, the brunet opened his mouth and bared his teeth. To Zexion, it was a surprise at how unassuming they were; although the canines and outer incisors on both rows of teeth were sharp and made for puncturing skin, they were no bigger than a normal human tooth. The brunet closed his mouth. "That answer your question?"

"And... and you're not going to kill me?"

"No. We're not human killers," the vampire replied.

"Besides, not like killing you would help any," the red-haired vampire chipped in. This was rewarded with a sharp look from the brunet partnered with a hissed ,"Ax _el_."

"What about him?" Zexion next asked, pointing to the blond lying prone on his bed. "He... he looks..."

"He'll be fine. He needs to rest while his body repairs itself," the brunet explained. "Oh, and he's no killer either."

"But he... he drank from me..."

"Ah... yes, well, you don't have to worry about him coming back for more." The brunet then put his hands on Zexion's upper arms and lifted him up as if he weighed no more than a feather. They were now standing toe to toe. "Come on. We'll explain everything that we can to you. But let's do it somewhere a bit more comfortable and leave Demyx alone." He turned on his heel; Axel moved from his spot at the threshold, walking into the living room before the brunet. Zexion did not follow immediately, instead turning his attention back to Demyx.

He had curled up in his sleep, long strands of sandy blond hair splaying about. If Zexion hadn't known that Demyx was a vampire as well, he honestly might have thought that the blond was human. He just... didn't fit the archetype of a vampire. He ran a hand through his slate-coloured hair, sighing in despair. It was hard to believe that this was reality... things like this didn't happen to people like him. He was a _blogger_ for goodness sakes! A blogger who wrote freelance about books!

He pulled the covers over Demyx's form, not knowing if vampires actually felt the cold or not but at least the move was considerate. With one lingering look to the blond vampire's delicate features, Zexion forced himself to stiffly march out of his bedroom, closing the door behind him. That brunet was right when he said he was going to explain _everything_ to him. Zexion was going to make sure of it.

* * *

What first struck Zexion was that his living room hadn't looked like it had a bomb go off. The windows were fixed, the hole in the wall was gone, all of his knick-knacks had returned to their proper places and the book that had started all of this was lying on the low table. Even his laptop and TV set, both of which he had been sure would have been destroyed, looked completely untouched, as if nothing had happened at all.

Axel had made himself at home in the kitchenette Zexion had noticed; he was fiddling with his coffee machine right now. The brunet was laying back easily on Zexion's sofa, a sort of regal air about him in how he held himself. Zexion sat on the chair across from him, leg crossed over the other, his arms crossed in front of his chest. "First question: what the hell happened to my apartment?" Zexion started. The question was vague at best, but he had all day to get to the bottom of this. And he doubted these vampires would be leaving any time soon as well judging how the curtains were all drawn closed.

"During or after the attack?" Axel called over. "How d'ya take your coffee?"

"Cream no sugar," Zexion answered. He vaguely heard Axel mutter something but he couldn't tell what.

The brunet clearly did because he responded with a sharp, "Be nice Axel." He then looked over to Zexion. "First, it was attacked by a creature that we call a Dusk. That attracted more Dusks to your apartment but luckily Demyx and Axel were keeping watch so they were able to get you out of there unharmed for the most part. After that, we had two witches come here to help clean up so that questions wouldn't be asked."

"...witches?"

"Yeah. They're a thing too," Axel chimed in. "As are your standard werewolves, sorcerers, daemons... take your pick really. It's probably real."

"One thing at a time," the brunet frowned over to Axel before turning his attentions back to Zexion. "As for the reason why you... it's this book." The brunet leaned forward and tapped it lightly. "Zexion, could you tell me where you got this."

"How do you know my name?" Zexion demanded. Demyx knew his as well for some reason...

"It's written in the book," Leon explained, opening it to show the dedication.

 _The Master of the Book of Retribution is... Zexion Driscoll_

So that was real... Zexion shuddered at the memory. "What... just what is this book then?"

"First tell me how you came to have it," Leon insisted.

Zexion frowned at him... but then with a relenting sigh he answered. "I bought it at this book shop I go to a lot. It's a specialist shop in the occult. It's called 'Merlin'." He tried to keep himself composed as he spoke. "I've bought books from 'Merlin' before and never... never had this kind of thing happen before."

"Think it's a one-off Leon?" Axel asked, coming over with a tray of coffee. There were four mugs on it; clearly Axel believed that Demyx might join them at any moment.

"Possible," Leon replied. "As far as I'm aware, this 'Merlin' store isn't a known otherworld merchant."

"Otherworld?" Zexion murmured, more to himself than to the two vampires. It was at this moment he realised just how acute a vampire's hearing was.

"It means everyone who isn't a good old fashioned human with zero magic," Axel explained as he put the tray down on the low table. "As of last night, you can count yourself as a member of the club." He then sarcastically applauded. "Congrats."

"Getting back to the more pressing subject..." Leon reached forward, not even bothering to ask Axel which mug was his. "The book you bought is something our clan has been searching for a very long time." His mouth moved into a pensive frown before saying, "Round about two hundred years now I think?" He looked over to Axel for confirmation on that.

"Ah come on, as if I'd remember that far back," Axel groaned. "I can't even remember if I was 68 or 70 when it was stolen." _And he says it so casually..._ "You're the younger one. Weren't you like 50 at the time?"

"I have the exact same problem as you of not being able to remember that far back," Leon retorted.

"Leon, you were about to turn 51 and Axel, you were 69," Demyx's strained voice cut in. Zexion turned in his seat, not having even heard the bedroom door open. Demyx was looking a little worse for wear, with his entire abdomen having been bandaged up within an inch of it's life and his frame stooping a little from tiredness. It was only now that he noticed that there was a scar on Demyx's chest, roughly in the same area as the heart.

"Should you be up?" Axel asked him, picking up one of the mugs as he went over.

"I'm fine. Though I don't recommend taking a direct hit from a Nobody, even if it is a Dusk." There was a wryness resting languidly on his lips as he made that comment. "It hurts like a bitch." He then took the mug from Axel's hands. "Three sugars and a lot of cream?" he asked expectantly.

"You know it," Axel grinned. "Don't say I don't spoil you every so often."

"Aww Axie~ You do care~" Demyx beamed as he took a sip. It was only then that he noticed Zexion. "Oh hey there Zexy~ Sorry for scaring you last night... and for water damages. I'll make it up to you, 'kay?"

 _How can you shake off what happened like it was nothing? You looked like you were dying last night!_ "I'm... It's alright. Everything looks fixed." Zexion turned back to Leon, who had not moved from his spot. Was this really the man who was so concerned that he practically forced Demyx to... to... to drink from a human?

"I'm explaining everything to Zexion," Leon told Demyx. "I'll need you to fill in gaps for me since you were scouting for the book first."

"Got it," Demyx nodded, taking careful steps over to the sofa. Axel followed a little behind, close enough to help if he was needed but leaving space for the blond vampire to move about on his own. Demyx was soon on the sofa with Leon, legs folded under him in a seated position.

"Where was I... the book. It's a dangerous artefact that our clan was been looking for two hundred years after it was stolen from us. Demyx here had been following up a lead about it being spotted in the city."

"'Merlin' the book store," Demyx chimed in. He smiled a little at Zexion. "I came in a bit after you, but by the time I found the book you were already starting to read it. I didn't really know how to approach you about it since there isn't a nice way of asking someone not to buy a book, so I followed you home. I contacted Axel to come help me since I wasn't sure how to proceed after that." He laughed a little uneasily. "I now feel like a complete stalker..."

Zexion could only blink. Demyx had been following him? He didn't even detect Demyx's presence yesterday! He wondered if he was that oblivious in real life... "And you knew my name... how?"

"You and the owner of 'Merlin' were on first name terms," Demyx said as if it were the only explanation in the world. Of course... he must have been overhearing their conversation if he was in the shop.

"Alright... then... what is it about the book that's so dangerous?" Zexion asked. He'd ask about them being vampires later... the book was a bigger concern. If it was dangerous to have, as much as he hated to even think of it, then it was probably better to get rid of it. The vampires all looked at one another with dubious expressions. Zexion had half expected there to be a long silent battle of wills to play out in front of him, but Leon was the one to answer.

"The Book of Retribution is a grimoire... and it has powerful illusion magic."

"Illusions? That's it? That doesn't sound terrifying," Zexion exclaimed.

"It is," Leon insisted. "Think about it. With an illusion, you can make a weaker minded foe believe his greatest fear has been realised... you could make an entire city think they are among monsters, causing them to kill each other in desperation when they aren't running away in fear... you could convince a person that there is an army ready to massacre them... illusions are terrifying things really." He looked at Zexion. "They're terrifying because it's only limit is the imagination of the wielder. Imagine if a madman had his hands on this. Everyone could wake up thinking the end of the world was upon them."

"Well, that's if that madman was a nihilist," Axel commented. "Me personally I'd imagine I had an entire bevy of- ow!" Zexion blinked as Demyx lobbed a notebook of his straight at Axel's head.

"Mind out of the gutter Axel," Leon drawled. "The point I'm making is that the book is dangerous because of its potential... and also because its capable of influencing anything it senses is weaker than it." His steel-blue gaze caught Zexion's aqua eyes, staring into them as if trying to see the deepest parts of Zexion's soul. "...it tried to influence you last night. That's how Demyx got injured protecting you."

Zexion looked at the book. That...? That tried to influence him into doing something? "What... but... I'm _normal_. I can't do anything."

"Clearly that isn't the case. If you didn't have any magic in you, the book wouldn't have bound itself to you in the first place." Leon took another sip. "In fact, I'd say judging by your book collection and the fact that you appear to be a writer of some sort or another, you're a prime candidate for the book. You must have ample amount imagination for it to decide to choose you."

"Choose me?"

"The book has a spell on it. It chooses to be bound to someone of its own volition, but it won't know the character of the person unless it gets a taste for their blood." From the corner of his eye, Zexion could see Demyx visibly shudder at the thought. Leon continued, "It's dark magic. What more could you expect from it's original author?"

"I... I still don't understand."

Leon's expression was rueful. "The truth is... short of killing you, there's no way to break the spell as far as we know. The original author of the book intended it so that no one but him could use it. He obviously didn't think it was possible for him to die so..." He trailed off... and Zexion knew what Leon was trying to say. He was cursed. This book would be bound to him right until the day he died.

"Is there... nothing that can be done?" Zexion asked softly. He felt like he had just been told he had terminal cancer somehow... in a sense the curse kind of was like that, only it seemed hellbent on controlling him, not killing him.

"I think our best course of action would be to take you to our clan's headquarters," Leon said. "My grandfather would probably be of more help to you at this point. Plus, it also means that the book is back where it belongs."

"You sure that's a good idea?" Axel questioned. "I mean, the kid does have X-class blood and he's been drunk from recently. That won't be easy to hide."

"Zexion got drunk from?" Demyx murmured questioningly, tilting his head to the side in confusion. "Were you out of energy Leon?"

"It wasn't me who drank," Leon stated. "It was you."

Demyx's face went suddenly pale. "Oh my god..." He turned to Zexion quickly, immediately checking him over. "Oh my god I'm so sorry! I didn't attack you did I?! God you must have been so frightened! I swear to you I would have asked for consent first! I-" Zexion tried to push Demyx away from him but once again, the vampire's strength had taken him by surprise.

"Demyx, it's fine," Leon sighed. "You were passing out on the floor. I asked Zexion to help out. We made you drink from his wrist. If people asked, then the truth is that I ordered you to do it since it was an emergency." He shrugged. "I'll take the responsibility for it."

The colour returned back to Demyx's face and his shoulders sagged a little in relief. He then looked back to Zexion, suddenly realising where his hands where and jumping away as if burnt by hot coals. "Um... sorry... really... yeah..."

"What's the deal with the 'X-class' blood?" Zexion asked. "You've mentioned this several times now."

"To cut the long story short," Leon started, "you have an incredibly rare blood type, though you humans classify it as AB since it's only marginally different to it. Since it's that rare, only the highest ranked vampires get to drink it normally. You'd have to ask a medic on the details though."

"And to clarify for you, Leon's high ranking," Axel helpfully added. "The highest in fact. So normally he'd have first dibs on your blood."

Zexion stared at them. "This... this is definitely reality, right?"

"Yes? Why?" Leon asked.

"...I don't think I'd dream myself to be some sort of all powerful Marty Stu character with some sort of cure-all blood type that's reserved only for what I'm assuming are aristocratic vampires." His face was deadpan. Yes... he'd like to think he was a bit more creative than _that_.

The three vampires stared at him, as if he had sprouted another head and was breathing fire. It had been Axel to break the awkward silence with a dry, husky cackle. "So all it takes to get him to believe it's reality is that it has to sound like a ludicrously bad vampire fanfiction that even he couldn't come up with it... I like this guy! Can we keep him?"

Leon coughed to recompose himself from his gawping, but Demyx just continued to stare gormlessly at Zexion, still in disbelief. "Well... since you're convinced now that this isn't something you could have dreamt up," Leon continued, "we probably should start thinking about returning to the clan."

"How? It's..." Zexion looked over to the clock hanging up his fridge. "It's almost noon."

"And that's a problem... how?" Axel asked... and then a devilish smile appeared on his face. "Oh... I get it..." He went over to the curtains. "I suppose these have been shut for a while now."

"No! Don't-!" Zexion yelled as Axel violently sprung them open. He let out a hellish scream as he burst into flame, causing poor Zexion to yell in horror. He hadn't noticed the unimpressed face of Leon or indeed Demyx's mad attempts to hold back laughter.

"Axel... that isn't very funny," Leon flatly commented. The brunet then slapped upside the blond's head. "And you, don't encourage him." The fire around Axel extinguished and he turned around, the sun shining behind him but his body and even his clothes looking completely intact. As if he hadn't spontaneously combusted right in front of them.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist." He had a grin that even the Cheshire Cat from _Alice in Wonderland_ would envy. Zexion stared at him, his pale face reddening with anger. "It's a bit of a fallacy that vampires can't waltz about in the daytime. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to only mince about at night? People would be onto us in no time!" Zexion was about to retort to this, but he glanced over... the sun was shining on both Leon and Demyx but neither had even a wisp of smoke coming from them. Though the light did reveal something he hadn't expected.

Both had healthy tans. "So... is there anything else that isn't true about vampires or is Axel going to continue giving me heart attacks?"

"I love garlic~" Demyx beamed. Leon silently lifted up his pendant; a cross with a lion's head atop it. So that ruled out the 'vampires can't bear to look at crosses' as a fact. "And hoo boy would it be great if we could actually transform into bats or go through keyholes. Could you imagine how easy it would be getting around?"

"And silver...?"

"Sadly true," Leon answered. "Though these days we can see ourselves in mirrors since they use mercury now rather than silver for the backing."

"But your pendant..." Zexion started.

"Platinum. So is the earring."

"Mine too!" Demyx declared, moving locks of sandy blond hair away from his right ear to reveal three silvery rings hanging from his lobe. "Anything else?" Zexion shook his head slowly, letting it all sink in. "Great~ When do we go home then?" Demyx asked, looking over to Leon expectantly.

"Are you sure you should be moving around?" Leon frowned. There it was again... that hidden concern that was only just detectable in his low, silken voice. "X-class blood isn't a magical cure-all as Zexion put it. You need to rest as well."

"I'm fine Leon," Demyx protested. "It's just a scratch. That might leave a scar. No biggie." Axel was next to him and tugging his ear, eliciting a yelp from the blond vampire.

"Yes biggie," Axel scolded. "You should at least get a bit more blood." With those words, Zexion unconsciously pulled the wrist with the teeth marks behind his back. Axel caught the movement. "Ah, no, don't you worry. If you don't want to, we aren't going to force it."

"What...?"

"We only drink from humans with their consent," Leon explained. "But one of us can go to the blood bank and get an emergency ration."

"I'm really alright," Demyx insisted. Leon's hand immediately pressed to his mouth to shush him.

"I'll go," Leon offered.

"It'd be better if you stick around here in case something happens. As much as I hate to admit this, you're the stronger one out of the two of us." Axel then bumped Demyx's head with the back of his hand. "And I'm at half power so long as this guy here's injured." Demyx's retort was muffled by Leon's hand. The brunet seemed to consider Axel's points until he let out a relenting sigh.

"Fine, but make sure that no one follows you there and back. The last thing we need is someone finding out about the book's location." Leon then finally released Demyx's mouth. "Especially say nothing to anyone in the clan. They might get twitchy."

"Yeah yeah I know," Axel said with a blasé tone. He stuffed his hands into his pockets as he strolled over to the door. "I'll come back with snacks too. Doughnuts Dem?"

"If that's how you're going to bribe me into staying put then sure!" Demyx called back. Zexion found himself feeling even more bemused... first coffee and now talk of doughnuts that would be -most likely- washed down with blood? Just what had he got himself into...

* * *

Zexion had found the past hour a bit awkward if he were honest. It was hard to get his head around the fact that there were two vampires in his apartment -Leon had taken to perusing his book collection, murmuring statements like 'interesting', 'this might be good' and 'huh...' at intervals. Demyx was dozing on the sofa, completely at ease in his surroundings- with a third somewhere out in the city grabbing blood, doughnuts and other 'snacks'... whatever that entailed. And none of them had even mentioned let alone attempted to drink his blood again. He was under the impression that 'X-class', as his blood had been referred to, was something special. Shouldn't they be practically ripping him apart for it? And what had Leon meant when he said that they didn't drink from humans without consent?

"Zexion, you're spilling coffee all over your counter," Leon's voice broke through his thoughtful stupor. Zexion jolted; indeed he had overfilled his mug. He dashed to his cleaning cupboard, grabbing kitchen towels to mop up the coffee before it stained. "Is something the matter?"

"...still finding it difficult to comprehend all of this..." Zexion admitted, dabbing the coffee up with his handful of paper towels. He watched as the pristine white absorbed the murky brown. "Why me? How does a book decide on whose life to alter? How on earth is this not some insane dream I'm having when it just all sounds so... so..."

"Impossible? Fantastical? Extraordinary?"

"All that and more," Zexion mused. "...I'm normal. I've never had anything unusual happen to me until now."

"Just because you're 'normal' as you put it, doesn't mean that abnormal things can't happen to you," Leon pointed out. "Though, I suppose everything you thought was the case was shattered on top of all this..."

"Leon... what's going to happen to me?" Zexion asked quietly. "I get that I'm linked to this book now... but what's going to happen to me now that I am linked to it..."

Leon was silent for a moment, his mouth pursing tightly before he spoke. "You'll be kept safe. If it's being drunk from by other vampires you're worried about, then please don't. Your blood class gives you some protection from any who might try to earn your consent."

"This is the third time you've mentioned needing consent... you actually need it?"

"I won't lie, but in the past consent was not the first thing we did when we needed to drink," Leon admitted. "But modern medicine has helped us a lot. Particularly phlebotomy. We can draw out blood reserves from humans without harming them, and they'd be none the wiser."

"That seems a little sketchy..."

"You'd be surprised how hard it is to convince a mass of humans to donate blood in order to keep a few vampire clans alive," Leon retorted. "Regardless, thanks to that, we don't feel the need to feed directly from humans. We only do it if its an emergency and we have the intended source's consent like last night... or if we're intimate with the human in question. Of course, with their consent as well."

"Intimate...?"

"Vampires don't _have_ to be exclusive with their own kind," Leon stated. "As for you, you have a very rare blood-class. The highest ranked vampires are the ones that can... what's that term kids use these days... 'call first dibs' on it." As if to emphasise the point, Leon made quotation marks with his fingers. "Which I am one."

"...would you drink from me?"

"Again, as I said, only in emergencies." This caused Zexion to raise a brow. "I wouldn't consider us close friends by this point," Leon pointed out. "Acquaintances is the best term to put it." Zexion nodded his head as if he understood... but he wasn't sure if he really did. He then glanced over to the book... well, grimoire he supposed he should refer to it as. Leon caught the glance. "Is that worrying you as well?"

"It'd be odd if I wasn't worried about a book that could … I think the phrase I'm looking for is 'possess me'."

"It's up to you what you want to do," Leon replied. "I can't promise that you'll have a normal life again, not unless we find a way to separate you from the book safely. But you do have a choice: you can try to live as normally as you can, but live in the knowledge that you'll be hunted down by those who want that book for their own reasons, or we can help you use and control the book. It would mean you becoming a being we refer to as a sorcerer, and it won't always be a safe life, but at least you'd be able to protect yourself."

Zexion once more nodded his head. It was deplorable really... either choice meant he couldn't live the life he once had. For how could he try to ignore this new dangerous world that had suddenly crashed into his life if he did try to live normally? But likewise, could he truly be a part of that world in which these vampires and God knows what else lived in? "And... you really think I can become a sorcerer?" He didn't even know what it _meant_ to be a sorcerer. Or what their place in the world was. He didn't know _anything_ ; finding out more about the vampires was clearly just scratching the surface.

"Like I said, the book wouldn't have chosen you if you didn't have the potential to begin with," Leon remarked. "It won't be easy, but I would say becoming one would be in your best interests. We'd be better equipped to protect you."

Zexion opened his mouth to ask what Leon meant by that, but his attention was taken when he heard the lock of his front door clicking. _Oh no... not now... why now...?!_

"Axel?" Leon called, turning to the front door.

The door opened and in came the familiar honey brown spikes, the slight stature, the baggy trousers and ridiculously big trainers of his cousin. Sora was in black today, with a blue vest underneath his cropped jacket. His big blue eyes glanced at Leon with shock. Leon himself seemed surprised, but Zexion gathered that it was not because Sora was new to him.

He didn't know why, but he felt the temperature in the room drop.

"So... the 'useless' hunter I presume," Leon drawled. He moved away from the kitchenette's island, in swift, graceful movements closing the gap between him and Sora. Zexion was suddenly abandoning his coffee.

"Leon wait!"

"What's a Noblesse vampire doing here?" Sora demanded in a voice so foreign to Zexion that it caused him to freeze in his tracks. _Sora's... aware of this world?!_

"I could ask you where the _hell_ were you when your cousin was being attacked by Dusks," Leon growled. "My blood brothers were under the impression you made it a personal mission to protect him. Especially now with the Book of Retribution in his life."

Whether Leon's following statements had made it into Sora's ears was not apparent, for the brunet had suddenly pushed past Leon and was grabbing Zexion's arms. "Are you okay?! Oh my god I hadn't even _felt_ anything odd hanging around you last night! I should have stayed over!"

"Sora... did you know about all this?" Zexion asked carefully. His cousin paused... then gave him an imperceptible nod. "Is that why you were telling me to get rid of the book?"

"Zexion I-" Sora began, but he faltered for a moment, as if battling some inner turmoil. "I don't know how much you know, but I didn't want you to get involved..."

Zexion glanced over Sora's head to Leon; the brunet merely nodded silently to him, as if to say that he'd leave the cousins to it. The vampire turned his attention back to the still dozing Demyx, whose head had since began to loll off the side of the sofa, his teeth on show as well as a little drool pooling out. Leon simply but carefully nudged Demyx's head back onto the seat cushions to save Zexion's woven rug. Zexion inhaled deeply before turning his attention back to Sora. "Alright... but I'm involved now. Leon's given me a summary of what the book is and what vampires are. How about you tell me what he meant when he referred to you as a 'hunter'."

Sora gnawed on his bottom lip; Zexion could feel his cousin tense up. "...it... I haven't been a hunter for very long," he started, his hands dropping from Zexion's arms. His fingers were fidgeting as he drew back a little. "Basically... you see... um... hunters... hunters are kinda like the police, I guess?"

"The police?"

"My... all the words in the English dictionary at your disposal to explain this, and you go with that?" Leon commented.

Sora swiftly turned on his heel and glared at the vampire. "Well _excuuuuuuuse_ me for being a human teenager who doesn't have the free time to read the Oxford English Dictionary cover to cover several hundred times, Mr. Millennia Old."

This was responded with a curt, "I'm only 250." At this point there was a knock on the door, causing everyone -who was conscious at least- to look over.

"Were you expecting someone Zexy?" Sora asked, his body tense and prepared to lunge forward. Zexion remained calm as he approached the door and looked through the peep-hole.

"It's only Axel." He opened the door for him. Axel strode in, box in one hand, but Zexion could hear him dragging something along behind him.

"Anyone like to explain to me why I found a daemon hanging around the lower floor waiting to pounce on vampires?" he asked as he nearly flung another boy -a little older and taller than Sora- into the room. Sora was immediately going over to him, sliding onto his knees. The boy groaned, as if he were only starting to come around after a rough beating.

"Riku!" Yet another person and more terminology Zexion had to get his head around. _Wonderful... anything else this day would like to throw at me?_ "What did you do to him?!"

"Tell your friend here that if he wants to try and get the jump on a vampire, he's going to have to do better than hide in the shadows when in his human form," Axel remarked drolly. He then opened the box. "Doughnut?" he offered, revealing the box's contents of sickly sweet ring and filled doughnuts...

And three packets of blood with Demyx's name written on them in a black marker pen.


	3. Aware

**A/N:** Just a quick note tonight.

Thank you for reading this and for taking time to review! It makes me happy that there are people who do pay attention to this little thing!

Enjoy this next chapter! I'd love it if you reviewed as well :D Thank you!

-Love from Rosa xx

P.S. Struggling to come up with more... creative chapter titles... "Chapter #" seems a bit staid... Any suggestions?

* * *

Demyx's eyes shot open. His nose had caught onto the scent of sugar and the distinctive sour tang of AB-class blood. He rolled over onto his stomach, seeing that two more had joined them. The hunter and the daemon. Not that he was overly concerned about those two at this moment. "Axie," Demyx whined.

Axel had just placed the box where the smells were coming from onto the kitchenette's island, glancing over to Demyx. "Trust you to wake up as soon as I open the box."

"Doughnut?" he asked sweetly. He lifted his hands up quickly to catch the blood bag that had been tossed over to him.

"Blood first, then sugar," Axel scolded firmly. "And don't give me that face."

Demyx's bottom lip jutted out as he looked at the blood bag. He hated AB-class. There was a reason why it was only ever used for medical reasons. "You could have gotten me O-class..."

"You know as well as I do that Aerith isn't going to let you survive on O-class with your so-called 'scratch'."

"But it's sour..."

"Drink your damn blood, you big baby," Leon frowned. Demyx withered a little under the brunet's stare. Even after two hundred years of hanging around Leon, he still couldn't get used to Leon's warning looks. He supposed though that Noblesse vampires like Leon were hardwired to have those authoritative expressions; Demyx was absolutely petrified of the Patriarch's stare.

With a heavy sigh, Demyx lifted the bag to his mouth and bit down, his fangs piercing the plastic film. He grimaced as the thick, sour blood gushed into his mouth as sucked at it, hating every second of this. He'd rather have B-class... though his mind did wonder back to the X-class blood he got to taste.

The memory was faint, and he wasn't really sure how to describe the taste. He tried to think back but found that pretty much his memories past taking a Dusk tentacle to the abdomen was a hazy blur. Though... he did remember that he had for a moment considered ignoring Leon and just feast on it. X-class was a blood reserved for the Noblesse rank. A Cavaliere like him usually wouldn't even get a taste of it. His eyes flicked over to Zexion. He was kneeling down on the floor with the hunter -his cousin if Demyx remembered correctly- and the daemon, deep in conversation. Looked like that whatever hit the daemon had taken he was starting to come around from it. _He did taste delicious... but that's all I remember..._ He looked over to Leon as he finished his blood bag. "Leon... I didn't...?"

"You only drank from the wrist," Leon assured him. "Though he did try to offer the neck first."

Demyx felt his cheeks burn a little, though he tried to put it down to the fact that he had drank blood just now. "...and he doesn't... know that implication, right?" he squeaked.

"The kid's just found out about the otherworld," Leon pointed out to him. "We can't bombard him with the intricacies of vampire society in one day... or indeed what he was implying by offering the neck."

"Why? Got the hots for him?" Axel grinned. He had since joined Demyx on the sofa, doughnut in hand. He then glanced up at Leon. "Ah yeah, sorry, none of that tempura seaweed shit you like so much."

"That's a shame," Leon muttered. "Guess I'll stick to coffee." He then looked over to Demyx. "So? Do you?"

Demyx could only imagine how his face looked, because it definitely felt hot. Axel's grin was growing wider. "Aw look at him~ Remind me to feed him blood before I want to tease him again."

"Shut up," Demyx growled. It was weird though... when was the last time he blushed like this? Probably back when he was a fledgling... or even back when he was a human all that time ago. "Well so long as... you know... _that_ didn't happen, then I guess I'm not going to be ripped apart by your Gramps... right?"

"Didn't I already tell you that I'd take responsibility," Leon sighed. "Honestly... trust me a little Demyx. I haven't done you wrong for two centuries."

"It's not that I don't trust you..." It was more like he didn't really trust himself. He had the first taste after all. He was worried that he didn't have the fortitude to resist the siren call of X-class blood now that he had a taste of it. He yelped as another blood bag was thrown into his lap; he hadn't noticed Leon had walked away for just a moment to come back with it. "I'm not _that_ thirsty!"

"Stop whining and start drinking," Leon nagged. "You can have a doughnut after that one."

"There better be a big one waiting for me," Demyx grumbled. Dutifully he pierced this bag too, discarding the one he had been holding onto the coffee table. His eyes caught sight of the book again... he couldn't help but hate it right now. _You just_ _ **had**_ _to make things complicated didn't you..._

* * *

Zexion was almost impressed with himself. Considering the _freaking fucking impossible_ had happened within the past twenty four hours, he was amazed that he wasn't starting to downward spiral into madness.

First vampires. Vampires who seemed capable of using magic. Who didn't die from being in the sun, eating garlic or looking upon crosses. Who could be killed by silver but could now see their reflection in mirrors since silver wasn't used for backing anymore. And, the cherry on top, who also claimed that he had some sort of magically rare blood type that clearly was tasty oh but they couldn't drink from him without his consent. So far, so completely blowing everything he thought he knew about vampire mythology.

Then that bloody book... grimoire... whatever it was. That was magic. A book about magic that also had a bloody mind of its own to the point that it had decided -on the basis of _three_ drops of blood- that he was its new master. Oh but that was really just lip service; it really intended to possess him effectively.

And now to top it all off, he was now learning that his cousin was something called a hunter. A human who was aware of the supernatural, had some supernatural abilities ("mostly psychic"), and whose job it was to take out any supernatural creature that could pose a threat to normal mortals and the rest of the otherworld community. Oh, and that his best friend Riku was actually his hunting partner, and he wasn't human either.

"Right... so Riku is a demon..."

"D _ae_ mon," Riku corrected. "There's an _a_ in there. Between the _d_ and the _e_. Not that hard you know." The silver-haired teen had recovered from his bump to the head from Axel, his arms crossed over his chest and his face tight with annoyance. At least Zexion thought he was a teen but, hey, he could be wrong... like he had been about _**nearly everything**_ today.

"Daemon... right... sorry..."

"Don't mind him Zexion. He's still sore about getting manhandled by that vampire over there," Sora said, trying to maintain the peace.

"I was _not_ manhandled," Riku growled. "He cheated. If I was in my true form he'd be shaking in his boots."

"Riku you know you can't be in your true form," Sora frowned. He then looked over to Zexion. "This is his human form. It'd be a bit weird if he walked around with his wings out."

Zexion dumbly nodded his head at this information. _And now we're talking about wings as if that was normal... good grief..._ "And you've been partners for as long as Sora's been a hunter...?"

"That's right," Sora confirmed. "I got pretty lucky actually that he's my partner. It's hard to make a contract with daemons since most have got less than ideal conditions for them to agree."

"Contract?"

"Every hunter and their partner makes a contract," Riku offered this time. "For daemons its standard stuff since we're all about making contracts with mortals and otherworld folk. We don't come cheap y'know."

Zexion sized up Riku for a moment before looking back over to Sora. "...then what's your deal with him?"

Sora's face went bright red. "Oh... um... nothing serious like my soul being his or anything like that. Riku's one of the pretty chill daemons." Zexion noticed that Sora's fingers were fidgeting again. He was keeping something back. Obviously this was a tick that Riku had picked up because he just sighed a proper explanation.

"When he says that I'm 'pretty chill', what he really means is that I'm one of those daemons that wants a body fluid rather than a soul, an organ or the contractor's sanity," Riku explained. Sora jolted in shock when Riku opened his mouth again to say, "To be exact, I just ask Sora for his se-"

"Ahahahahaha! Funny Riku!" Sora yelped, slapping both of his hands over Riku's mouth. The daemon was visibly riled up at being silenced, his body language demanding the hunter just what the hell the problem was.

One didn't have to be a genius to know what Riku had been about to say. Zexion just wasn't sure how to respond to the fact that Sora's partner was some sort of incubus... "But all this time... since you became a hunter you've been watching over me?"

Sora nodded his head. "...well...you're into some pretty creepy stuff Zexy... I was really afraid you'd stumble into something dangerous by accident." He chewed on his bottom lip. "Though I pretty much failed at protecting you from the book... I just... I just don't get how I didn't even notice you were in danger..."

"There was probably a blocking spell," Riku reassured his partner. "You're still inexperienced Sora. Don't beat yourself up about it."

"Yes but I shouldn't have left him alone..." Sora looked up at Zexion, his eyes quickly downcast seconds later. "I... I'm so sorry Zexion..."

"It's fine," he said quietly. "...just one more question."

"Sure."

"Is Vanitas a hunter as well? Anyone else in the family?"

"Vani is," Sora confirmed. "Dad's a hunter too. Mom isn't, but she's aware." Zexion nodded his head slowly; Sora's father was his paternal uncle.

"...and on my side?"

"Nothing," Sora replied. "Your side doesn't even know about the otherworld. Well, except for you now." Sora pursed his lips tightly before asking, "So... what will you do?"

"Well... those three seem to know more about the book so... it might be within my best interests to keep talking to them. At least with Leon." He noted that Sora looked uneasy about this. "...is there something I should know about _them_?"

"Well... its not that I don't trust them or anything..."

"Sora, spit it out."

"Alright, alright. I just think it might be better for you to talk to the Master of the Overseers," Sora appealed. "You're talking to a human who's seen it all then, and you're not walking into a huge nest of vampires."

"The correct terminology for a group of vampires is 'clan' and I would ask you to remember that," Leon's voice chipped in. He was standing over the three; Riku drew back and tensed, putting himself firmly between Leon and Sora in a protective stance. "And while I have the deepest respect for the Master and the rest of the Overseers, this is Clan Griever's issue. Not theirs."

"I'm not allowing Zexion to walk into your clan grounds. He might get attacked!"

"Zexion is an X-class," Leon frowned. "His status and my position in the clan will be protection enough from any of the Subalterno that try their luck."

This meant nothing to Sora. "So? It won't stop a rogue vampire if you've got at least _one_ who's unhinged!"

In a flurry of movement, Sora was suddenly pinned against a wall and off his feet. Axel had Riku pinned on the ground before the daemon had a chance to respond, an arm pressed against his throat as Axel tutted a warning, "Ah ah ah." Demyx was just looking at them, doughnut in his mouth with a drop of blood dripping down his chin. Zexion blinked, flabbergasted at how fast the vampires had moved. He then looked up at Leon and saw that his eyes were burning silver from his angle. Sora looked absolutely terrified but he struggled, his hands clawing at Leon's around his neck. "Don't. Underestimate. Me," Leon growled threateningly. "Any Subalterno that moves above their station is as good as dead." He lowered Sora gently to the floor, releasing his neck before taking a step back. Axel moved away from Riku, but his body was coiled as if ready to pounce again. Riku sneered at Axel, his gaze locked with the vampire's as he sidestepped to Sora. "...he's coming with us to our clan, and that's final. If you have a problem, take it up with your Master and our Patriarch."

Sora glared at him; Zexion noticed that Sora's hand was starting to glow. "Stop! Both of you!" Zexion yelled, finally getting to his feet. The brunets turned to Zexion in surprise; Leon's eyes had returned to normal and the glow in Sora's hand dissipated. _Thank god... I really thought there was going to be a fight._ "Do I at least get a choice in what I do?"

Both looked at each other again... Leon snorted in derision and moved away, while Sora merely let out a disgruntled humph and folded his arms. "Alright Zexy... what do you want to do?"

"I'm going to their clan," Zexion replied, lifting a hand up to silence Sora as he made to protest. "I'd like to know the full story, and I get the feeling that their… Patriarch can help in that respect." He lowered the hand. "Besides... it sounds like I can't ever live a normal life now so... I might as well figure out a way to make sure this damn book doesn't get me killed." He looked over to the offending thing. Demyx was standing up at this point as well, doughnut in his mouth but just as ready to pounce if things turned sour. "...besides, I don't think I have that much of a choice..."

"But-"

"I mean it Sora," Zexion frowned. "If it worries you so much then come with us." He noticed that Sora was doing his uneasy fidgeting again. "What now?"

"He's worried that he's not going to be let in," Axel droned. "You know. Cuz he's a hunter with a daemon partner." Zexion noticed that Riku was sidling more against Sora, his body practically brushing against Sora's back.

"And I fail to see the issue here."

"There isn't one," Leon sighed. "Though some Subalterno vampires might get a bit antsy about a daemon being around."

"Well can you blame them given their reputation," Axel chipped in. This time it was Demyx who was keeping him in line with a sharp elbow.

"Regardless, it seems like the only way we can resolve this peacefully is to go to your clan. All of us together." Zexion gave Sora and Riku a pointed stare. "I mean it." He then looked over to the three vampires. "Otherwise I'm not going."

He watched as the five looked at each other; Leon, Sora and Riku were glaring at each other. Axel was trying to keep his face passive though the corner of his lips were betraying an amused smile. Demyx on the other hand was visibly worried, looking between the stalemate between his leader and the hunter pair, and over to Zexion who kept a resolute stance. It was Demyx who broke the tense silence. "Well guess we don't have a choice then," he tried to laugh it off. "So why don't we just call a truce for now?"

The three did not break eye contact... but it was Leon who swallowed his pride and offered a hand out to Sora. "We both want the best for your cousin, so our goals in that respect are aligned," Leon grumbled tersely.

Sora did not immediately take Leon's hand, but when he did he grabbed it tightly. Zexion could see that vampire and hunter weren't shaking. "If anything happens to Zexion, I will hunt you down personally, consequences be damned," Sora growled. Riku nodded his own agreement to the statement.

"We all good then?" Axel asked, suddenly swooping in and throwing arms over Leon and Sora's necks. His trickster grin had returned to his face. "Great~ Then let's get going. Wouldn't want to give any Nobodies half a chance to get the jump on us."

Both brunets shook off the flame haired vampire's overly familiar gesture. "Given that our weapons were couriered back to the clan, it'd be a wise course of action." Leon looked over to Sora. "Yours?"

"Back home," Sora shrugged. "But I've got Riku to help, not to mention I'm pretty good at photokinesis."

"Oh hey a fellow element manipulator~" Axel grinned. "Natural?"

Sora blinked, looking at Axel. "Of course. Hunters were all born with some sort of psychic ability. Why?"

Axel's grin just grew wider as he took out from his pocket a silvery lighter and flicked it open, a small flame burning. In an instant it grew bigger. "Pyrokinetic here. Dem's a hydro." He then looked over to Leon. "Sourpuss over here is the only one here lucky enough to have some magic ability, even if he has to Draw it with Materia."

"Wait... that wasn't magic you were using last night?" Zexion asked with bemusement.

Demyx and Axel both shook their heads. "Not everyone can use magic," Demyx stated. "Some of us have to make do with psychic abilities or nothing at all."

"Or Materia," Axel added.

Sora was peering at the two vampires. "So are you psychic? Or do you use something?" Sora asked.

"Classified," Leon interrupted at this moment just as Demyx was about to answer. The blond vampire, chided, promptly slammed his mouth shut. Sora gave the brunet vampire a leery look but did not pry further. Zexion wanted to ask but Demyx had come over by this point. His hand was on his shoulder and he simply shook his head, as if to say that this wasn't something they could talk about easily. "Shall we get going?"

* * *

Zexion couldn't help but feel the tense atmosphere settling upon their odd group of six, Zexion having to put himself between Sora and Leon as his cousin was still glaring daggers at the vampire's back. He felt a nudge, looking over to Demyx who was walking beside him. "Just so you don't freak out, you might see things when we get out of here."

"See things?"

Demyx nodded his head. "Well, you're aware of the otherworld now. That means you're going to start looking at the world... a little differently." He then pulled his hood over his head; Zexion watched as Axel and Leon pulled out from their jacket pockets sunglasses.

"I thought vampires can walk about in the daylight," Zexion mused.

"We can. Doesn't mean that we can see all that well in the daytime," Demyx explained. "Sensitive eyes. Better for seeing in the dark when there isn't that much light." The blond then took a thoughtful silence before adding, "Like a cat."

"A cat?"

"Yeah. Cuz they see in the dark better than they do in the light."

Zexion wasn't exactly certain on the science behind that comparison – he was no biologist – but he decided to take Demyx's word for it. "Why aren't you wearing sunglasses then?"

"Mine broke," Demyx grinned. "So I'm waiting for a new pair to be made. So hood up it is." By this point they had reached the front door of Zexion's building, Axel and Leon stepping out first. He had held his breath for a moment as he watched the pair step out, in the back of his mind still expecting them to start at least smoking from their skin, but both looked like perfectly ordinary people. Demyx winced visibly as he stepped out, shielding his eyes with a hand. Zexion looked over his shoulder to watch Riku step out into the sunlight. Once again, he was given proof that the supernatural creatures of darkness he was familiar with didn't seem bothered at all by daylight; Riku looked like any ordinary teenager.

It was while he was taking this in that he felt something slimy brush past his ankle, causing him to jump. Demyx yelped in surprise but looked down. "Already? Sheesh..."

"What is it?" Leon sighed as he turned to face them, his eyes obscured by dark aviator glasses.

"Zexion's attracting fae folk." Demyx bent down and picked up something that Zexion wasn't daring to look down. "Shoulda realised knuckers would be hanging around here." In the vampire's hand was a slimy, amphibious looking thing that at first Zexion would have taken for some sort of newt. However, with this close of a look Zexion realised that it had an abnormally long tail, it was secreting clear slime from thousands of tiny, pearlescent scales and that it had two fangs hanging from its mouth. There were even claws on its toes. Demyx noted Zexion's expression. "Ah, knuckers are a kind of water dragon. This ones a baby."

"We don't really have the time for a fae zoology lecture Dem," Axel pointed out. His eyes were obscured by frameless sunglasses. "Bottom line, you might see a lot of things like that on our way over. Don't freak out. Wouldn't want the normies thinking that you're some sort of maniac."

Zexion looked over to Sora at this point. "Was... this the same for you?" Zexion asked, hoping it wasn't obvious how rattled he was by finding out that there were _dragons_ around.

"Well I kinda grew up knowing all this so it doesn't bother me," Sora replied sheepishly. "Sorry Zexy."

Zexion groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. _Anything else you'd like to throw at me today world?_ "Okay... fairies-"

"Fae folk," Demyx corrected. He was currently at a sewer grate, helping the knucker to slither back to the water source.

"Demons-"

"D _ae_ mons," Riku chastised.

"Witches, sorcerers and vampires all exist... you going to tell me that Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster do as well?"

"No, those are obviously fake," Axel replied flatly. "You can thank humans deciding making something up would be a great laugh for those. Gee Zexy, I thought you were smart."

"Axel, don't be rude," Leon chided. "Until today he probably thought all of us were just figments of imagination." The brunet vampire gave Zexion the smallest apologetic smile that disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. If he had blinked, he might have missed it.

"They... they aren't going to be a problem, are they?" Zexion asked cautiously.

"Nah, fae folk in the city can't really harm anyone," Sora shrugged in response. "If they come to you it's because they're attracted by the magic you've got now. They might try to feed on it."

"Won't that hurt?"

"Not really. It's more like a mosquito bite. Irritating but not that painful." Sora scuffed his trainers against the curb as he balanced along it; Riku's hand was placed carefully on the small of his back as if to support him. "It's the bigger guys outside of the towns and cities you gotta watch out for. Oh and I guess leanan sídhe too since they're lifesuckers so they're always dangerous..."

"Only if you let them love you," Riku clarified. "And of course if you accept their gift of inspiration." Zexion looked at the daemon quizzically. The silver haired teen let out a slight sideways smile. "Leanan sídhe are fae folk, but they and us daemons share common ancestors. Hence some similarities." He looked over to the three vampires. "Though I'd say they aren't that far off the bloodsuckers here."

"Heh, and yet you daemons are the ones with rough deal because you get mixed up with demons so much," Axel smirked smartly. This caused the daemon to bristle irritably. And for Axel to get one of Leon's slaps up the head.

Zexion just felt overwhelmed by all this. It was a pat on his shoulder that caused him to look up. Demyx was smiling at him from under the hood. "Don't worry, alright? It's a lot to take in. Even I struggled with it when I became aware." Zexion just nodded, taking some comfort in the sentiment. He just... hadn't a clue where to start when it came to comprehending all this.

"Ah... wait..." Zexion's eyes flickered up to Demyx's face. "I'm guessing teleportation or some sort of enhanced speed isn't something you have?"

"Teleportation we don't have. We do have enhanced agility but not the way you're thinking it," Demyx grinned. "It'd be handy though, being able to run about like the Flash."

"So how are we getting to your clan?"

"How else?" Demyx grinned brightly. "By the Underground."

Zexion blinked... then couldn't help but laugh at himself under his breath. _Of course... how stupid of me not to realise._

* * *

They had arrived at Rising Falls station a few moments later, though Zexion found himself looking around the world more now that it had changed irrevocably. Trash cans that he used to assume had alley cats scurrying about inside them now had feral shadowy creatures crawling out of them. Plants in window boxes that he used to pay no heed to before were being tended to by winged creatures, sometimes conversing with the gardener if they were aware of them, sometimes pulling pranks on those who weren't. People that he would walk by, sometimes on a daily basis, suddenly could be divided into the 'aware' and the 'unaware' in his mind. Even the homeless man that usually lived close to the station stairway didn't seem so mad now that Zexion could see that his black cat with the white spot on his chest was actually talking back to him in English. Demyx helpfully told him that was a fae folk creature known as a Cait Sith.

Underground in the station, heading for the Crystal Line, Zexion was confronted with yet more creatures milling about among humans who didn't seem to know they were there. It was at that moment that he noticed that three tiny winged humanoid creatures were fluttering about Leon, and the vampire was speaking to them in hushed whispers before they flitted off.

"What was that about?" Axel asked him.

"They're on a job for The Coven," Leon replied. "But also warned me that the Council knows of Zexion's awareness and the book's reappearance."

"Fair enough," Axel shrugged.

Zexion looked over to Sora, who had visibly tensed. "The Council?" Zexion queried in a hushed tone.

"They're the most powerful group of supernatural beings in the area. Everyone has to answer to them," Sora explained. "Even Leon's clan has to and they're the most powerful group in the city." He looked down. "If they get involved... well..."

"You think he'd be in more danger, don't you?" Riku whispered.

"Well yeah." Sora shifted his shoulder to let a small, floating plant-like creature waft by, barely even looking at it. Zexion wondered if that was a dryad... "I mean, the more people who know, then surely the more danger Zexion will be in."

"Not necessarily..." Riku hummed, causing Sora to glare at him as if to say 'traitor'. "I know you didn't want him to be aware of the world, but right now as he is, he's vulnerable, and neither of us are going to be able to hold back a huge amount of Dusks if that becomes a regular occurrence." He nodded his head towards the three vampires. "Even they would struggle. So... the more the merrier."

Zexion sighed heavily; he was starting to get a bit weary of all this. He patted his messenger bag, assuring himself that the book was still in there as well as one of the books he had just started to re-read. _Maybe I'll read that during the journey_ , he thought as they approached the platform at long last. The train appeared at that moment; everyone from normal mortal, to the smallest of fae folk using the underground system to get around piled on. Zexion grimaced as they were packed tight; it must have been getting closer to rush hour if the trains were already getting this crowded.

He jolted when he felt an arm coil around his waist, looking over his shoulder to see that it had been Demyx. "What are you...?"

"Just stick close alright," he whispered. "Not everyone on this train is friendly." His grip tightened a little. "I'll keep you safe."

Zexion felt his weight shift from side to side, looking away while keeping his gaze firmly on the ground. He wondered if being drunk from by Demyx last night had a bit of an odd effect on him, because he swore that he was steadily growing more bashful around the blond vampire. He'd have to ask Leon about this later... it would be too embarrassing to ask Demyx, and Axel no doubt would enjoy the new ammo for teasing. "How... how many stops?" he managed to get out, tensing as he felt the space shrinking around him as more people crammed in against each other.

"Up until Postern," Demyx replied. "So five stops." He suddenly gripped Zexion closer to him, his chin firmly placed on his shoulder. Zexion's eyes widened when he heard a protective hiss escaping from Demyx's mouth. Unsure of whether he ought to, he dared to look and follow Demyx's line of sight.

He looked like an ordinary man at first glance, but when he grimaced and held his hands up in surrender, he caught a glimpse of a set of vampiric fangs. The man was turning around facing away, placing his sunglasses back onto his face to hide himself. "This is gonna be harder than I thought..." Demyx muttered.

* * *

"...can they... smell it...?"

Demyx inclined his head slowly, trying his damned hardest to ignore it himself. Not to mention his hearing was picking up Zexion's increased heart rate, which was forcing the blood to rush about with such speed that the sound of it was deafening against his sensitive ears. How was it that he was reacting this strongly to Zexion after one drink that he couldn't even remember?! And more to the point, why was Zexion reacting so strongly towards him?! _I'm not cut out for this... I'm freaking out that I'm gonna drink in public... no no... don't think that Demyx... don't think about drinking... don't think about drinking... don't make eyes at the neck... god he smells amazing... NO! Bad Demyx! BAD!_ He glanced over to Zexion's pale neck... it really did look tempting... _ARGH!_ He pulled his head away, opting to rest his chin on Zexion's head now, arm still wrapped tightly around his middle while his other held onto the pole.

This was going to be a very long, very torturous journey back home. _I can do this... I can resist... I can hold back. Come on Demyx, you're 219 years old. You can abstain if you wanted to no problem!_

* * *

Axel was watching all this with a rather amused expression, glancing over to Sora and Riku. The little brunet was positively seething at how spoony Demyx was acting around Zexion, with the silver haired daemon keeping a composed straight face. He then glanced over to Leon who somehow managed to get a padded lean-to. "I'm so going to ask him how much he enjoyed getting all touchy-feely with Zexy."

"Don't you dare," Leon sighed; he was probably rolling his eyes behind the dark sunglasses. "I have enough headaches to deal with today." He then frowned a little. "...I know that if I was in that type of situation again I'd still choose the same option I took, but I'm worried about Demyx." This took Axel by surprise; although they couldn't talk in detail given where they were, he had a hunch what Leon was concerned about.

Axel lowered his voice so that only Leon could hear. The amazing hearing really was a great perk to being a vampire. "You're worried that Demyx might... get attached?"

In just as low a voice as his, Leon responded, "If it was a mortal or a witch or a sorcerer that had a different blood type then maybe I'd be a bit more relaxed about it..." He didn't need to finish the sentence. Axel knew that Zexion's status as an X-blood really did make things a lot more complicated, even if that gave him a bit of protection from thirsty vampires lower than the Noblesse rank. Demyx as a Cavaliere being given the first taste of an untouched and unmarked X-class before a Noblesse was simply unheard of. Not to mention what the traditional route most Noblesse took when a new X-class human was found often included the possible, eventual turning of the human. "Well... do you think he could do it?"

"He's reaching the point that he probably could if he was extremely careful," Leon murmured. "But he's still inexperienced..."

"Well, just make sure that it doesn't come to that," Axel shrugged. "This is why I'm glad I categorically can't do that rite. Way too much hassle if you ask me."

Leon glanced up at him and then let out a long suffering breath. "The things I have to deal with..."

"Well, you're not the next clan leader for nothing," Axel pointed out. "Weren't you the one that agreed to take up the search for the book when it got stolen."

"...I know," Leon muttered. "I just didn't think it'd lead us to this." Axel followed Leon's line of sight -or at least what he thought Leon was looking at. Demyx was still holding Zexion pretty close to him, and obviously his little territorial show earlier had put off would be approachers.

They looked like an ordinary couple from where he was standing. "I think you should just wait and see what happens. Deal with it if it comes to it."

"...that is the most sensible advice I've ever heard from you," Leon replied, an eyebrow quirking suspiciously at him.

"Oh I'm full of sensible advice~ You just choose whether or not to listen to it~" Axel grinned in a sing-song voice.

"And then you go ruin your moment with your normal self."

"You know it." Though he did share Leon's concerns, he figured that Demyx was in control of himself. That, and he was pretty sure that Demyx would rather cut his own fingers off with a rusty spoon than do anything that might put Leon in an awkward position. "...hopefully your Gramps knows what the best course of action will be."

"He will. He hasn't lived over 600 years and learnt nothing in that time." However, Axel could see that Leon was drumming his fingers tightly against his tightly folded arms. "...I just hope the hunter sees it that way."

* * *

It had felt like a lifetime when the train finally arrived at Postern Station. Zexion let out a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding when Demyx finally let go of his middle once they were out of the cramped compartment, but his eyes were resolutely refusing to make any sort of eye contact with Demyx. The vampire was pretty much doing the same, to the point that he had dropped behind a little, muttering that he was going to make sure that there weren't going to be sneak attacks from errant creatures.

Once they submerged, Zexion was greeted with the alien sight of Postern's skyscrapers; Postern was not a district of the city he'd visit given as it was the business sector. He looked around though. Yes even here it seemed all was not as it seemed, with mortals and the supernatural walking amongst each other as if it were an every day occurrence.

Well, it was an every day occurrence. Zexion could see that now.

"We're here," Leon announced. Zexion looked up at the shining, modern glass and steel skyscaper. Again, not what he was expecting given that he was about to walk into a vampire clan's den. What was even more surprising -or maybe not so surprising now that Leon had revealed a rather telling fact of how vampires could survive in a modern world- was just which company this building belonged to.

"DiZ Corp? You guys are the DiZ Corporation?"

Leon looked over his shoulder, a rather sly expression gracing his features; Zexion could only imagine what Leon's obscured eyes looked like right now. "I told you that modern medicine has helped us a lot." Zexion nodded his head slowly.

A vampire clan posing as a pharmaceutical company. Clever. Very clever.


	4. DiZ Corp

**A/N:** Another day, another chapter. Thank you so much for reading, reviewing, faving and general support so far :)

Thanks goes to anonymous reviewer **Ray** as well: I'm glad you love the story so far :)

Still no thoughts on my end for a better chapter title = v = I have immediately crossed out 'Bite' though - too obvious (haha).

Please enjoy this next installment. I would love it if you reviewed :) -Love from Rosa xx

* * *

DiZ Corporation's reception hall was like any other one would find in any ordinary skyscraper. Clean lines, plenty of sunlight filtering through, a rounded reception desk manned by three people, elevators, impressive objet d'art dotted about; so far, so normal. Zexion felt a little out of place here, but as he glanced over to the three vampires they looked even more out of place. Leon in his leathers and biker boots, Axel with his black jacket, dark denim jeans and pointed, heeled boots, and Demyx with his short sleeved hooded grey jacket, dark blue three-quarter length shorts and brightly coloured trainers... they really looked more like they were going to cause trouble or making a delivery.

One of the receptionists looked up... and was suddenly on her feet. "My Lord!" This attracted her two companions, who looked up from what they were doing and were on their feet as well.

"At ease," Leon sighed, lifting a hand up. "Is my grandfather busy right now?"

"Lord Ansem finished his scheduled meetings this morning," the woman replied. As she spoke, Zexion caught a glimpse of the vampiric teeth.

None of these women really fit his image of what a vampire looked like. They were beautiful, but not in some unearthly way. They looked no different from humans at all. Not to mention the ladies were dressed in colour, rather than the token black he had half expected; the one in the middle was wearing a yellow shift dress, the one on the left was in red, and the one on the right was in green. They looked like triplets with their blonde hair and light brown eyes.

"Thanks Laurette," Leon nodded. "We'll be going up then."

He stalked off to the elevators. Axel ran a hand along their desk with a flirtatious grin. "Ladies~" This caused all three of them to giggle bashfully as they watched him join Leon. Demyx was the next to approach them.

"On a scale of one to ten, how mad is Aerith with me?" he asked tentatively. The one in green turned from her fawning to face Demyx.

"Hard to tell. Aerith is pretty good at masking how mad she can be," she shrugged. "Sorry Demyx."

Demyx's shoulders sunk. "No... it's alright. Thanks anyway Paulette." He then waved to the other two, his hand at this point having reached for Zexion's wrist idly. "See you later girls."

He was practically dragging Zexion over to the elevators, the sounds of Riku and Sora's feet hurrying to catch up with them. "Demyx... you don't have to hold my hand for this," he muttered. Demyx turned, obviously having heard that. He slowly let go... then sharply exhaled.

"I guess... but stick close, okay? We're not out of the woods yet."

"Is it really dangerous for me to be here?" Zexion asked as they joined the other two. The elevator was descending the last few floors now.

"Not really. A vampire isn't going to attack you here unless they have a death wish. But still... one might try their luck by seducing you into consenting." Demyx shrugged his shoulders a little as if to weakly excuse his reasons. "I mean... you do get the odd vampire that forgets his rank..."

"I doubt we'll be crossing paths with many of them," Leon said just as the elevator reached their floor and the doors opened with a ping. The elevator was one of those modern glass ones that most likely had a view of the city the further they went up. And luckily big and spacious enough to hold six people comfortably. They all piled in, Leon pressing the button for the top most floor. "We'll stay in the penthouse for now. I'm sure my grandfather will get the message that we came back with company." The door shut close. Seconds later Zexion got that uncomfortable stomach lurch and the feeling of his feet leaving terra firma for a moment as the elevator lifted up with some speed.

* * *

He kept his attention on the city, for the most part letting conversation go through one ear and out the other as he watched the view expand before him. Postern looked impressive from the ground, but the higher they went the more impressive the view of the entire city became. He could even see the ancient castle that the city was built around, somehow still looking majestic despite it's towering neighbours only two short districts away from it. Once upon a time, Radiant Garden City was a small little medieval town built on a large river that connected it to the big port towns of the country and was close to a favoured hunting ground for royalty. As time went on, and the country went through the throes of revolution and into the arms of republicanism, the town grew up to be a major city, the castle being re-purposed multiple times; in its latest incarnation it was a museum. The century before it had been a government building. The century before that it was used as a private home for the country's then-leaders.

Zexion always had wondered why this part of history hadn't been destroyed in the fires of revolution when many other stately homes came out of it severely damaged. He supposed even revolutionary leaders liked aesthetically pleasing things like castles. He supposed that maybe revolutionary leaders also liked the idea of lording over everyone else from a castle.

They were getting higher now, the river starting to appear between buildings, snaking through as a ribbon of grey-green water that caught the afternoon sunlight in places. Now that he knew of the otherworld, he wondered what sort of creatures lived there. Bigger knuckers like that one from earlier?

He heard someone join him at the window. "How're you coping?" Demyx's voice asked gently.

"Well... I think I'm coming around to the idea of the world not being what it seemed," Zexion admitted. "I've been wondering what lives in the river." He looked over to Demyx, guessing he was the expert on that sort of thing. The blond vampire's grin was almost dazzling; clearly mythological zoology was his favourite subject.

"Well knuckers of course. The prefer the river, but the babies or smaller ones go about in the sewers to find food for themselves. There's a really big one in the river we call Leviathan; she's named after the river and she's been here far longer than we have. Some people think she's not far off becoming an Esper."

"Esper?"

"...hmm...I guess you could describe them as a kind of god?" Demyx offered, though he himself didn't sound so sure. "They're extremely powerful aspects of magic given shape and form. Otherworld folk don't get to see them all that often since they pick and choose who gets to see them." He gestured his head over to Leon who was deep in conversation with Sora; no doubt the pair were arguing over something again. "He's seen two, so he's a bit of a prodigy in that regard."

Zexion glanced over to Leon... yet it didn't surprise him that he had seen two of these Esper creatures. The brunet vampire had shown how incredibly powerful he was only last night. "What else lives in the river?"

"Let's see... naiads from time to time. Oh but they aren't like mermaids; they're more like water sprites. Then you've also got the kelpie – they look like horses, but some of the really old ones can take on human forms. Oh and the guys you want to avoid are the shellycoats. They're nasty."

"Why?"

"They won't kill you, but they will prank you if they think you're in their territory. That and they like to toss really sharp shells at you when you least expect it." Despite the warning, Demyx's teal eyes were practically shining at talking about them. "I wouldn't worry too much though. Most fae folk tend to keep to themselves. Well, the sentient ones might try to make contact but it's not that often."

"Have you had contact with them?"

"Mostly the water ones. Strong elemental affinity and all that." Zexion half expected Demyx to start using hydrokinesis right now to demonstrate but he remembered that Demyx couldn't do it without a source; the sewer water barrier came to mind right now. "Though fairies are used a lot by us as a sort of messenger service... well, mostly used by witches and sorcerers that is since they're the ones with the magic."

"So no one in your clan can use magic?"

"Not on their own. We need Materia to use magic."

Zexion nodded his head slowly. "And Materia is...?"

"Crystallised blood of magical folk." Zexion jolted at the answer, his mind brought back to Demyx drinking his blood. "A-Ah, don't worry! It takes years for Materia to form so its not like anyone would have a factory of this stuff on tap!" It must have been obvious how apprehensive he was because this was followed by a swift, "And it's not like we'd kill someone for it! We're not killers! Well...we sorta are... ah not the point!"

"Demyx, stop scaring the poor boy," Leon droned just as the elevator pinged. He stepped out, pushing his sunglasses up his head. "We'll have to wait a bit, but please make yourselves comfortable."

The penthouse was a bit more in keeping with Zexion's preconceptions of how vampires lived. While there were rooms with large glass walls looking over the city, everywhere else was dark wood and fabric, moody paintings from bygone ages, antiques that had been lovingly cared for, with all the modern conveniences subtly merging with the old country pile feel by sharing the same dark colour palette. However, it was a door left wide open that had Zexion's interest piqued; the room it lead into was covered floor to ceiling with books so old he could smell the must. He turned his body to it, wanting to have a good look to see what sort of collection Leon's grandfather had.

"Ah, I wouldn't," Leon warned, putting a hand on his shoulder. Zexion jumped; Leon had seemingly appeared out of nowhere from the furthest end of the room they had initially walked into. "My grandfather is particular about how his books are kept." He reached for the glass door knob. "Some of these books are even older than him."

"He's a bibliophile?" Zexion asked.

"More like a man of science," Leon replied. "It was him that pursued the phlebotomy route when it comes to gathering blood supplies. There's tonnes of medical journals and books in his collection." He then looked down at Zexion. "I'm sure though that if you asked he'll let you have a look."

"Oi! Leon! You mind if we have some of the fancy stuff?" Axel's voice echoed from far away. Leon sighed heavily while muttering an 'honestly...'.

"Keep in mind that we have at least _one_ person with us that's underage!" Leon called back. This was followed by a distinct 'hey!' from Sora. Leon turned his head slightly to Zexion. "It's best to get comfortable. If you want, I have a book that you could read while we're waiting. It might answer whatever questions you have better than we can."

"I could read the Book of Retribution," Zexion offered.

"Best not to. It's already proven to have some sort of sway over you." Leon gave him an apologetic expression. "I don't really want to knock you out if it tries something again."

Zexion frowned, pulling the book out from his messenger bag and looking at it. To him, it still looked so innocuous that he found it incredible that it had as much power as the vampires claimed it did. "...who wrote it to begin with?"

"...that might be something my grandfather will be better equipped to answer," Leon admitted.

"You don't know?"

"...no. I know. I don't know the full story though." Leon looked away. "All I know and care about the book is that it's dangerous in the wrong hands, regardless of whether those hands know how to use it or not."

Seeing that he wasn't going to get anything more from Leon at this point, and that there really was no way he was going to get into the Patriarch's small personal library, he shrugged and skulked over to the black modern sofas, finding a spot that had the best light. He put the Book of Retribution back into his messenger bag and brought out the book he'd been in the process of rereading.

* * *

It was close to evening when the Patriarch of Clan Griever finally made an appearance in the penthouse. In that time, Zexion had reached halfway through his book, Sora and Riku were still in a tense stand off with Leon, Axel had since drunk at least half a bottle of 'the fancy stuff' -not blood remarkably, but some sort of alcoholic drink that did have blood mixed in- while Demyx had taken to rediscovering items in the confines of the living room, as if coming to each one for the first time. Zexion had at times looked up when Demyx was in his line of sight, trying not to smile at seeing the childish wonder and curiosity gracing the blond vampire's face at each item.

Leon moved from his spot swiftly when the elevator announced its arrival with a cheery ping, striding over to the hallway. Axel flailed a little, quickly hiding the bottle he'd been partaking in before standing completely straight. His vibrant red hair was slightly askew. Demyx nearly dropped the antique horn he had been inspecting, managing to steady his grip on it before it had a chance to fall out of his hands. He put it back down and was doing the exact same thing as Axel. Sora and Riku slowly got up from their own seats, the daemon placing himself slightly in front of Sora as if to protect him from an unknown threat.

Zexion gathered he ought to stand too. He shut his book and stood from his spot, taking a deep breath in order to calm his racing heart. _Stay calm Zexion... he has answers... but remember to be respectful._ Vampire or not, he was in the Patriarch's home and he wasn't going to forget his manners.

There was a small exchange of words in the hallway which was swiftly followed by footsteps. Zexion's eyes widened a fraction.

The Patriarch of Clan Griever cut a strong figure with his broad shoulders and straight posture, his hands firmly behind his back as he walked side by side with his grandson. With flashing amber eyes that appeared all-seeing set inside a face that must have seen so many years go by yet it barely been touched by its ravages, Zexion could feel the majestic power practically oozing from ever pore of this vampire. Though he was taken aback how different grandfather and grandson were; the Patriarch cut a stark figure next to Leon with his eyes and flaxen blond hair and beard. Then again... it seemed Leon inherited some sort of presence of nobility from the Patriarch. "This is the boy you speak of?" he asked in a voice that resonated deeply in Zexion's mind.

"This is him," Leon replied. "I was hoping that you may have an idea on what course of action to take now that this has happened."

The Patriarch nodded, walking over to the sofa directly across from Zexion. His white labcoat swished behind him as he moved. Truly, the Patriarch certainly cut a figure as a man of science, though Zexion didn't doubt he was given that this was the Chairman of DiZ Corp.

Ansem Wise, scientist, founder and Chairman of DiZ Corp. And Zexion was standing in his living room?! _You really need to stop acting so surprised... it's pretty much been confirmed that this company could be entirely run by a vampire clan._

"Sit," Ansem commanded, taking a seat himself. Zexion slowly lowered back onto his own seat. "How are you coping with your awakening?"

"Awakening...?"

"He means the book and the otherworld," Leon explained. He had since moved behind Zexion. Demyx and Axel stood rooted to their spots, staying quiet. Sora and Riku were much the same, though it seemed that the Patriarch hadn't even acknowledged their presence.

"Oh... well... as well as anyone who had the rude awakening like I did I guess," Zexion weakly answered. The Patriarch gave a wry smile to that.

"I see... has Squall explained to you the implications of trying to remove you from the grimoire's influence?"

 _Squall...?_ He had heard Leon audibly wince at the name, and saw the amused smirk briefly grace Axel's face. _Oh... I guess Leon isn't really his name. Maybe a middle name that he prefers?_ "Well, I know that you can't separate me from it because that will kill me." He tilted his head. "But I'm guessing that because I have no idea on how to use it that makes me dangerous."

"Potentially dangerous," Ansem corrected. "I'm sure Squall has explained as much as he can about the grimoire, but he doesn't have the full story." He shifted as if to make himself comfortable. "I will be brief about its history. I'm sure our colleagues in the Coven or indeed in the Council have tomes dedicated to the grimoire's story."

"Grandfather, are you sure?" Leon asked. "He's only be awakened for a day."

"He has a right to know," the Patriarch responded. "And I can assure you that now that the Nobodies have been alerted to its activation, the Organization will soon follow."

Zexion opened his mouth to ask something but he closed it when Ansem raised a hand. "One thing at a time, young man." His face crinkled into a smile. "I can see that you want to learn everything you can, but there is too much to learn in one day. Not to mention there is the case of outlining your options." He then turned his head slightly to Axel. "Now... I do believe you have opened a bottle from 1663?" Axel jerked involuntarily at that. "Never mind. Just pour me a glass."

Axel did as he was bidden, all the while remaining quiet. Ansem turned back to Zexion. "Where to begin..." He hummed lightly. "I suppose when it was created." Zexion leaned forward a little. "I would say it was roughly five hundred years ago now... give or take a couple of decades. A sorcerer called Xehanort the Seeker wrote thirteen Books of Shadows, each grimoire pertaining to a particular school of magic. Your grimoire, the Book of Retribution, is one of them." Zexion found himself pulling his messenger bag closer to him, pressing it against his chest.

"Why did he write them?"

"Who can really say?" Ansem responded. "Some believe he was compiling all of his power together for his own nefarious uses. He did kill many denizens of humanity and the otherworld to gain all the power contained in the thirteen grimoires." He rested his hands together in his lap. "I believe though that there is much more to it than that... for you see, despite all of the power he had, he was still defeated and his thirteen grimoires scattered across the world. He could easily have destroyed his enemies yet he did not."

"What makes you say that?"

"I was among those who slew him." At this point Axel had returned, holding a tumbler filled with the dark, blood amber drink. Ansem quietly thanked him as it was handed over, taking a calm sip from it. Sora and Riku both looked surprised to hear that Ansem had been there at this Xehanort's defeat. "As was Joshua on the Council."

"Joshua?"

"He's the most powerful daemon in the city," Riku explained this time. "No one knows how old he is though... not even the rest of us daemons know."

"Quite," Ansem agreed. He took another sip. "As I said, if he was truly so powerful, he could easily have wiped out those who were considered the strongest at that time. But he did not. As such, in hope of stopping any who might be tempted by the grimoires to carry on Xehanort's work, we scattered the grimoires across the world, but the Book of Retribution stayed with Clan Griever as it was considered the potentially most dangerous of the thirteen." He then sighed. "That is... until it was stolen."

"Stolen?"

"Yes. We can't be sure who it was, but I suspect it was someone who had thought to use the grimoire or sell it. The fact that it has turned up after all this time in a book store suggests that it has either been sleeping this entire time, or leeching off weaker individuals if it was activated."

Zexion looked down at the bag. Leeching...? Yes, he supposed it had tried to do that... "It is truly fortunate though," Ansem continued, "that we found you when we did. Any longer and I am sure you would have been driven mad by it."

"And you can't separate me from it?"

"It is a binding curse of Xehanort's own making. Given how long he has been dead for now, doubtless it would be extremely difficult to separate you from the grimoire without causing your death."

"So what do we do Grandfather?" Leon asked quietly.

Ansem hummed lightly, placing his half-full tumbler down on the coffee table. His elbows rested against his knees, cradling his chin. "...given the circumstances, and that for Zexion to not only awaken the grimoire but also to thus far manage to resist it's influence, I would say there might be a chance for him to keep it under control as its keeper."

"In other words, you think he should become a sorcerer," Leon stated. This, as Zexion had expected by now, garnered a negative reaction from Sora. He was now standing in front of Zexion, looking down at the Patriarch as if he had for a moment forgotten how great the difference in power was.

"There is no way in hell I'm going to allow that," Sora growled.

"Ah... the hunter who is the boy's cousin," Ansem mused. "Yes... would I be right in thinking that your father is Lament Driscoll?" This caused Sora and Zexion to both jump in surprise. "Yes I see... and your brother is Vanitas Driscoll. Both fine hunters in their own right. It seems a shame that your uncle Ienzo Driscoll showed no promise as a hunter... yet your cousin shows talent as a sorcerer. Perhaps such power had always been lying dormant in your family bloodline."

Sora's hand clenched into a fist; Riku went over to him putting a firm hand on his shoulder. "How the hell do you know about them?"

"I have my ways," Ansem smiled lightly. "However... as admirable as it is that you want to protect your cousin, it would be in his best interests to learn to become a sorcerer. Especially now that we have the Organization to deal with."

"Well...yeah I know that..."

Zexion gathered from this conversation that whoever or whatever this Organization was, they were bad news. He glanced over to the other vampires who had for the most part been silent. Demyx was staring out of the window, but even from this distance he could tell that he was tense. "Let's not forget," Ansem pointed out, "that the Organization for reasons beyond our understanding have at least one grimoire of Xehanort's in their hands... with a possibility of them having more." His amber eyes locked onto Zexion. "It's paramount that they do not get the Book of Retribution. We could become powerless to do anything against them if they get it."

Zexion looked at Sora's back, noticing that he was shaking. _He only shakes like that when he's scared..._ He reached out and took Sora's wrist, giving it a squeeze. This made his cousin look behind him. "It's alright Sora... I've already got the hint. I've got a snowman's chance in hell of living a normal life as I am right now."

"But Zexion-?!"

"I'm alright with this," Zexion said calmly. "Besides, it's not like they're saying they want to turn me or kill me or anything terrible."

"I guess but... are you really sure you want to become a sorcerer?" Sora asked him. "I mean... you're not exactly going to be living freely."

"Well me having the Book of Retribution is a cause for concern, right?"

"...I really mean it. Like, you're going to have Overseers watching over you all the time."

"I'm going to be watched over by vampires all the time as well," Zexion pointed out.

"And if some mortal who's aware finds out they're going to bother you with all sorts of bothersome things!"

"Then I just make sure that I don't get found out."

"You might get asked to do something that you don't want to do by anyone who's of a higher rank than you!"

"Well, that's not exactly unusual in any other workplace so long as its nothing inappropriate."

Sora threw up his arms in frustration. "You're being impossible! Being a sorcerer basically means being treated as if you were a criminal even if you've done nothing wrong! Are you seriously okay with that?!"

"Well, the alternative would be to hand him over to the Coven but I'm not sure they could do much given the way their magic works," Ansem offered.

"You are not helping!" Sora yowled, forgetting himself for a moment. The younger vampires and Riku just stared at Sora in disbelief that he had talked back to a Patriarch.

"Sora..." Zexion stated, his voice firm. It caused the younger boy to flinch in surprise. "I'm 21 years old. I've lived alone for four years now. I'm capable of making my own decisions." He smiled a little. "I appreciate that you're looking out for me... but I've heard them out and I can understand that this book is too dangerous to be let out of their sight and... and that there isn't anything they can do about getting me out of this binding curse. So... I know what I want to do from here on out."

"But-!"

"I mean it Sora," Zexion sighed. "Please respect my wishes." This was only answered with a frustrated expression on his young cousin's face, who then pulled away violently and stared out of the window. He was obviously trying to hide how upset he was; Zexion could catch a brief reflection of his trembling bottom lip in the window glass. _Sorry Sora..._ He then looked over to Ansem. "So... what's the first step?" Zexion asked quietly.

"For now, we will have to be in conversation with the Overseers as they watch over all sorcerers, and we will also have to be in open communication with the Council as well given the nature of this... awakening," Ansem stated. "They will decide who is best suited to tutor you in magic, though it may be several candidates considering your circumstances." He then looked up at Leon. "I will, for the time being, leave him in your care Squall since retrieving the grimoire was your mission."

"Understood," Leon nodded. "...I'd like to request something."

"Go on."

"I'd like to request that for the time being we make Zexion's current abode our base of operation," Leon declared. "I understand that Nobodies may be attracted to it and in turn attract the attentions of the Organization but... I think it would look suspicious to the community living there if one of their number was to suddenly disappear." Zexion looked up at Leon. Was he seriously asking that? He looked over to the Patriarch, seeing him thoughtfully stroke his beard.

"...hmm... a valid point," Ansem finally relented. "On the condition that we are to move Zexion into the clan grounds discreetly and under the guise that he is moving from the area completely, I'll allow it." He then looked at Leon. "If ever you feel that it is becoming too much or that the area is compromised, remove Zexion immediately and come here."

Leon nodded his head in concurrence. "Understood. I'll leave the arrangements to the triplets in reception."

"Good. In the meantime... I would suggest that Zexion stays here for the night." Ansem looked over to Sora; Riku had since come over to him in a bid to console him. "You are welcome to stay the night as well, though I would suggest your partner to distance himself from our Subalternos. Many of them have... prejudices against demons but can't tell the difference between a demon and a daemon."

"...only if I'm not far from Zexion," Sora glowered, finally turning around.

"The floor below us will be able to house you three comfortably as our guests." Ansem looked over to Leon. "My grandson almost criminally disuses it given his propensity to … what's that term used sometimes … 'slum it' I believe?"

"Grandfather..." Leon groaned. He then gestured to Axel and Demyx to head to the elevator; the two vampires nodded their heads, Demyx gesturing to the hunter pair to come along with them. "That will be all for now. Is there anything else you wish to discuss?"

"No, I think it would be best not to cram too much information in one night," Ansem chuckled. "I'll leave it to you and your blood brothers to teach him the intricacies of vampire society and anything else you deem important. Please leave the history lessons and magic to me and the proper authorities once they are involved."

"Yes Grandfather." Leon then patted Zexion to get up. He did so quickly, still clutching his messenger bag with one hand while his other gathered up his other book. "Good evening." Leon was beginning to guide Zexion away, hand between the smaller man's shoulder blades when he suddenly stopped at the Patriarch's call to him.

"And Squall... don't think I didn't notice the smell of newly drunk X-class blood." Leon whipped his head around; Zexion wondered if perhaps Leon was hoping that it wouldn't be brought up. The elder vampire's amber eyes had narrowed. "I might be old but my senses haven't dulled. I know for a fact that you only drink from humans if in an emergency."

Leon's jaw tightened a little. "Well... it was an emergency..."

"Emergency enough that Aerith was sending out medical blood packs with Yuffie when she went over to collect your weapons before sunrise?"

Zexion watched as one of Leon's fangs gnawed slightly on his lower lip, as if weighing out his options for a response. He then heaved a sigh. "Demyx was badly injured to the point that he could have died from blood loss if something wasn't done. I made the executive decision that Demyx was to drink from Zexion, with his permission given of course."

Ansem looked over their heads. Zexion looked over to Demyx, who was now trying to make himself as small as possible. The Patriarch's gaze turned back to Leon. "And what do you intend to do now? You are running the risk of some other vampire believing that he is free for the taking if a Noblesse rank has not claimed him."

Zexion jumped when all of a sudden he felt a pair of arms wrap around his shoulders. "I... I'll protect him," Demyx's voice stammered. This had caused Leon to blink in surprise. "I- I know that Le- uh, Squall should have been the one to drink from him first to begin with, but I'll take responsibility too!"

"Demyx..." Leon breathed, staggered by this turn of events. Ansem's eyes seemed to narrow further. Leon at this point put himself firmly between Zexion, Demyx and his grandfather. "This was my decision, thus my responsibility. Furthermore, Demyx is my childe. Of course I'm not going to let him waste away if there is something that can be done on my watch." Zexion couldn't see Leon's face, but the brunet vampire was cutting an impressive figure. "I'd be a terrible maker if I allowed my own to die in front of me just because they weren't allowed to drink a certain type of blood."

Ansem crossed his arms behind his back. "...if that is the case, and you are truly going to take responsibility for this, I will leave this to your judgement." He started to walk away from the sofas. "Just remember that you will make it much easier on yourself if you stake your claim to his blood. The fact that you and your childe are blood brothers as well will somewhat lessen the temptation for others to strike." Ansem shrugged. "It'll appear that you like to share your blood meals."

"Excuse me?!" Zexion yelped. He heard Sora practically about to scream at that suggestion but either Riku or Axel must have covered his mouth.

"...we... we will discuss our options," Leon meekly responded. He then turned around; his eyes had turned silver but it was clear how alarmed he had been from this. "You two go ahead," he whispered to them both. Demyx nodded his head, practically dragging Zexion back to the elevator.

"...will he be alright?" Zexion asked quietly.

"...yeah... yeah he will be..." Demyx however was trembling despite the fact that he was still trying to protect Zexion. "...he'll think of something... he always does..." The elevator pinged and the doors opened. They all stepped inside; well, Sora was practically dragged inside by Riku. Axel held the elevator for a few seconds more, Leon appearing in that time and striding purposefully inside. Once the door shut, Leon's shoulders visibly sagged.

"That went about as well as I expected," Leon grumbled.

"So... Gramps isn't happy I take it?" Axel hazarded.

"'Isn't happy' is a giant understatement." Leon looked over to Zexion. "It might be that it can't be helped."

Sora had finally wretched himself from Riku's hand, mouth spewing out a stream of colourful cuss words. "When the _fuck_ was anyone gonna tell me that Zexion was _drunk_ from?!" he demanded.

"There wasn't exactly a good time to explain..." Leon started.

"The _fuck_ there was! Like _before_ you start dragging Zexion here!" Sora was now starting to jab his finger straight into Leon's chest. The elevator pinged again, the door opening. One jab was obviously explosive enough to take the Noblesse vampire off guard as he stumbled back a little, angry hunter following after him. The rest were quick to hurry out.

"So- Sora!" Riku exclaimed in shock, reaching to grab him but the teenager was having none of it.

"So now you're _fucking telling me_ that you're going to have to _lay claim_ to Zexion as if he were some piece of _fucking_ _meat_?! The _fuck_ is wrong with you?!" If Zexion weren't so appalled and surprised by Sora's language, he'd almost be impressed by the amount of f-bombs being dropped. Even Leon was surprised by how many there were. "I don't care if he gave you permission or whatever to begin with! I am _not_ allowing you to turn him into some sort of blood vending machine for you weirdos to drink from whenever!"

Riku by this point was struggling to contain Sora, his arms wrapped tightly under the shorter boy's underarms. "Sora... don't make me do it..." Riku pleaded. It was falling on deaf ears though Sora continued his frenzied tirade. Riku sighed in defeat. "Sorry..."

Zexion covered his mouth in shock when some sort of mark started to appear on Sora's skin in an eerie, purplish smoke. Whatever it was had obviously caused Sora to stop dead in his rage, his face suddenly going bright red as he struggled harder against Riku. "NOT HERE! NOT HERE!" Riku ignored him, clamping his mouth completely over the mark. Zexion didn't know if he expected Sora to be in pain... but he had to cover his eyes from embarrassment as Sora's eyes glazed over and he let out a shuddery pleasured groan.

Axel wolf-whistled at this point. "Well, that's one way to calm a spitfire." Demyx behind Zexion had clammed up and seemed to shrink. Leon coughed, averting his gaze.

"Um... do you both need a moment?" Leon asked, still not meeting either teens' gaze.

"Just point me in the direction of a room," Riku said, removing his mouth from the shadowy spot on Sora's neck. "He'll be calmed down in a few moments."

Leon nodded his head though kept his head resolute turned away. "Just down that hallway. There's a guest room that doesn't get much use."

"Thanks," Riku smiled gratefully. He then hoisted Sora over his shoulder. "I'll keep him quiet."

Zexion watched as the daemon carried his cousin off down a dark corridor and disappear into room, in absolute disbelief of what he had just witnessed. He then looked over to Leon. "I... I'm not expected to do something like that am I?"

"Oh _god_..." Leon groaned. "No of course not."

"Well, not unless you wanna," Axel grinned. As expected, Axel was punished for his quip. Zexion just hadn't expected that Leon and Demyx would administer a shared slap up the head. Axel frowned at them. "Sheesh... you two are such prudes..."


	5. Blood ice

**A/N:** Hey guys, another installment from your friendly neighbourhood vampires (and one would-be sorcerer)! I feel that the pace is starting to build up a bit now as important plot points and conflicts start to bubble up to the surface, though world-building is going to be a bit of a slow, continual process (the otherworld aspect of this world is MASSIVE, and I'm only really concentrating on Western supernatural mythos (I'd love to add Eastern supernatural ethos too, but I don't want to jackhammer it in if it doesn't serve a purpose).

Been keeping a close attention on the news that comes out of Kingdom Hearts III as well, you know, for more KH-canon worlds mostly - I'm glad _Big Hero 6_ has pretty much been confirmed, since that gives me another city location to work with possibly later down the line that is more or less modern. (Though I may have squealed when _Monsters, Inc._ was confirmed as a canon world - who would have thought that monster Sora and cyclops Donald could look so adorable? (Goofy looks... well goofy)). My fingers are crossed for certain, more recent acquirements of Disney to make an appearance in KH3 *coughMarvelcoughStarWarsifDisneytakesawayEA'slicensecough* but I get the feeling we'll be seeing a lot of Pixar franchises this time around. We can only hope haha. Even so, man I can't wait for it to release (I'm betting Christmas).

Er... what else... I guess its just thank yous now. So thank you all for reading the previous chapter. I hope you all enjoy this one too! Reviews will be greatly appreciated!

OH! Oh and I finally started giving the chapters proper titles now. I hope you like them :) Thank you all again! -love from Rosa xx

* * *

It was taking all of Zexion's willpower to ignore the sounds coming from the far side of this floor -another penthouse he presumed- as they retreated into another living room. This one was different to the Patriarch's; instead of antiques from bygone eras, this one had more modern paraphernalia taking prominence. Old posters advertising rock bands from over thirty years ago, a comfier sofa compared to the ones upstairs, a flat-screen television with games consoles attached, at least three different methods of playing music with a massive vinyl collection close by to the record player... things that Zexion would have thought more fitting for a bachelor pad rather than as a home for vampires. He glanced over to Leon... he did at least know that he was 250, so he was surprised there weren't items from the era he was born in dotted about as well.

Leon shrugged off his leather bomber jacket, tossing it over the back of the sofa. It came as a surprise to Zexion to see that the Noblesse vampire had two tattoo sleeves; his right arm looked like it had been covered in silver-blue ice and frost, while his left seemed to be covered in lightning bolts that were in a yellow-red gradient. However, even though Leon had never struck him as the type to have tattoos, it didn't detract from the brunet's aura of nobility at all. The vampire flopped onto the sofa. "Well... might as well rest up." He looked over to Demyx; the blond vampire had kept a bit of a distance from Zexion. "You surprised me back there..."

Zexion felt like he was intruding on a private conversation so he took to exploring the room; Axel has since disappeared into another room, but he could pick up a vague sound of movement that sounded like bottles under the muffled groans coming from far away. Even so... Zexion couldn't help but listen in to Leon and Demyx's conversation.

"Well... you looked like you were going to get chewed out by Gramps..." Demyx replied. From the corner of his eye, Zexion could see that Demyx was fidgeting. "And I wasn't lying... I am going to protect Zexion. At least as best as I can."

There was a long pause. "Demyx... as much as I'm against the idea... my grandfather might have a point..." Zexion immediately got the feeling he was being watched. "I thought that my standing as a Noblesse and the fact that Zexion's become a VIP in our issues that that would be protection enough... I'm not so sure now..."

"...well, maybe Zexion should be in on this conversation rather than be talked about," Demyx gently pointed out. "I mean... it's his blood we're talking about." Zexion had tried to busy himself with the vinyl collection, but Demyx's hand stopped him in his tracks. "Come on. We need to have a serious talk." He then carefully guided Zexion to face them. "Um... should Axel be involved?"

"Only if he wants to be," Leon replied. "I'm not forcing anyone into anything that they don't want to do."

Zexion looked between them. "Are you seriously suggesting that I become a 'blood vending machine' as Sora so charmingly called it?"

Leon sighed. "Well... in all honesty, I take the opinion that you should only drink from a human if its an emergency." He looked over to Demyx. "In his case, it was an emergency."

"So what exactly are you suggesting? That it'd be convenient in case there is an emergency?" Zexion felt his body tighten, though he tried his hardest not to curl his hands into fists.

"I hope to whatever deity there might be that it'll never come to that," Leon replied, his face openly showing that his words were genuine. "But like I said earlier... no one is going to force you into that." He folded his arms across his shoulders. "If we did, we'd be no better than animals."

"What we talkin' about?" Axel's voice queried; he was sauntering in, large glass of blood-amber liquid in his hand. Zexion raised an eyebrow at that. "Beer with a hint of O-class blood. Tasty, but a bit watered down."

"I would have thought you'd hit the hard stuff by now," Leon commented. "And we're talking about... the Patriarch's suggestion."

"Ah... yeah, that was jerky of him to say that," Axel remarked, taking a swig of his drink. He sank into an armchair that had seen better days close by. "What's the plan then?"

"No plan if Zexion isn't comfortable," Leon replied. He glanced over to Demyx. "Which means we're back to square one concerning the fact that other vampires might catch on that it wasn't a Noblesse that drank from him."

"Am I missing something here?" Zexion asked. "I mean, how on earth does a vampire _know_ that another vampire's been near another human?"

"Ah..." Leon blinked as if realising for the first time that he might not have explained things properly. "Just to clarify, how much do you know about vampires now after meeting us?"

"That you can walk around in the sun just fine though you need to wear sunglasses because your eyesight is sensitive. That you can't run around at super speeds. That you seem to have incredible hearing because you can hear me even when I'm whispering across a room. That you also appear to have some sort magic that's not really magic. Oh, and you can see your reflection, you can eat garlic, you seem fine around religious symbols and I'm going to throw holy water in there because I suspect that doesn't affect you at all. And you can't turn yourselves into bats or smoke, and I'm guessing you can't fly either."

"Not bad," Leon remarked. "Alright... it's not just the hearing we're good at. Our senses are a lot stronger than a human's." He nodded his head a little. "Which means we can tell the difference between all the different blood-class types. And we can smell when another vampire has been around."

"Huh?" Zexion's eyes blinked in disbelief. "What does... that mean...?"

"Right now, Demyx's scent is all over you," Leon explained. "But because he's a Cavaliere rank, and the scent of your X-class blood is now a lot stronger after being drunk from recently, there are some vampires that are going to think that you're free game."

Axel made a tutting sound at that. "Pretty disgraceful if you ask me. But some vampires have no class."

"Says the frequent womaniser," Demyx retorted. Axel gave a debonair shrug in response to that.

"Anyway," Leon coughed, "what my grandfather was suggesting that if I drank from you, my scent would be on you as well." He then nodded his head to Demyx. "It wouldn't seem strange to other vampires that Demyx's scent is also on you because he's not only my blood brother, but he's also my childe."

"Childe?"

"He made me a vampire," Demyx offered. Zexion turned his head to him. "Leon's my maker. So... you see, that's what Gra- uh, the Patriarch meant when he said it'd look like we shared a blood source." In Zexion's understanding of all this, as shaky as it was, he supposed he could see the sense in that... even so...

"Does Axel have to be involved in this too?" he asked, a bit leery on where this conversation was going.

"Don't have to if I don't wanna," Axel chipped in. "Besides, I'm only a blood brother." Zexion looked over to him now. "Not to mention older than our resident Noblesse here."

"You're older?!" Zexion exclaimed.

"Wow, that almost hurt me," he replied drolly. "But yeah... I'm 268." He then took another swig. "And since we're opening up to each other so much, I'll just throw it out there that I'm also a dhampir."

"A... dhampir...?" He looked to Leon for an answer.

"Axel's mixed heritage. Human mother, vampire father."

"Not that I've ever met the bastard," Axel added. "Or want to." Zexion immediately got the feeling that was a subject best left well alone, even though the mystery of it was alluring. He turned his attentions over to Demyx.

"Then how old are you?"

Demyx pursed his lips. "Physically I'm 19... in reality I'm 219." He shuffled his feet a bit; a particularly loud sound had just echoed from the other side of the floor. "Uhm... how much longer do you think those guys will be?"

"Hopefully not long," Leon said.

"Who knew the kid was a screamer," Axel grinned, clearly enjoying the fact that he had new information to tease with.

"Putting aside that fact, we're starting to digress from the topic at hand." Leon's steel blue gaze was now firmly on Zexion. "Now that you know why it's been suggested and the reasons why it might be a good idea... it's ultimately your choice. You're already being put through a lot within twenty-four hours."

"I..." Zexion found that, despite everything he'd been told, despite all of his own objections and no doubt Sora's as well... that he didn't have any sort of answer to give. He clasped his hands together in front of him, tightening them a little. "I... I need to think on it..."

"Alright," Leon said, standing up slowly from his seat. Zexion watched him carefully, gauging his next action. "Don't leave this floor. It's better to not let there be any sort of temptation." He looked over to the other two. "Make sure that Zexion is escorted if he has to leave for any reason." He then closed his eyes as if to stave off a migraine when yet another loud sound echoed on the floor. "...and for the love of all that is holy Axel don't antagonise the hunter. I'd really prefer not to have the cleaners come up here if possible."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Axel frowned, raising an eyebrow.

"Where are you going?" Demyx asked. He had since moved himself closer to Zexion; he himself subconsciously moved a little away when it felt like Demyx had come too close.

"...I have an appointment to keep," Leon replied cryptically. He patted Demyx's shoulder as he passed by. "Don't take your eyes off of Zexion for a second."

Zexion looked over his shoulder and watched Leon disappear from view; the distant ping of the elevator let him know that the Noblesse had left. He released a heavy sigh he didn't even know he had been holding back. "...this is stressing him out, isn't it?"

"Don't worry about him. He knew what he was getting himself into when he asked you to... well, you know," Demyx offered, trying to reassure him. Zexion weakly smiled at him in appreciation... but he felt guilty all the same. "Besides, you've learned all that and more within a day. That's... pretty impressive when you think about it." His hands idly stuffed themselves into his pockets. "Though... I guess it's not really ideal having me as a guardian, huh? I mean... even if I am Leon's blood brother, I'm not exactly the most powerful."

"Stop putting yourself down Bubblebrain," Axel sighed, pulling himself out of his seat. "You're plenty powerful enough on your own." He sauntered past them; his glass was empty. "I'm getting another beer. Want anything?"

"Cactaur Cola," Demyx answered immediately.

"What are ya, a kid? Zex?"

"Uh... same I guess?"

"Man, you both really are kids," Axel mock-despaired. "I'm _soooo_ bad with kids."

* * *

Leon leaned heavily against the glass, eyes closed as he tried to stave off the headache. Just what had he got himself into this time? No, it wasn't like he didn't know what he was doing or what the consequences would be... but he hadn't expected his grandfather to put him in the shitter like that in front of Zexion and his cousin. Then again, that was his grandfather all over: find the solution and just do it, no questions asked and consequences be damned.

He opened his eyes as he felt the familiar chill on his right arm. "Shiva... I was under the impression you'd only appear if I needed you to." He had to hold back a sigh when he felt an arm wrap around his.

"If you ask me, I don't think you should even entertain the idea of drinking from him," came the tinkling, sultry voice that whispered into the shell of his ear. The breath against it was frosty. He shrugged it off, glaring at the form in front of him. The form pouted. "Cold as ever I see."

"What do you want Shiva?" Leon asked, crossing his arms tightly against his chest.

"Just wanted to check in on my favourite since I got the feeling he was stressed out over something," the form replied. Only now she was starting to solidify her form a little more, meaning he could now see her outline... and indeed feel her icy fingertips trip along his chest, up his neck and to his bottom lip. "So much stress because of one measly little human." Leon just kept a strong silence, looking at Shiva's outline impassively. A soft sigh escaped her; Leon could see snowflakes delicately glide down, resting on his shirt for a moment before melting away. "Leon... you know I worry about you."

"I know," Leon replied. "But you don't have to materialise every time I'm feeling just the tiniest bit stressed." He tilted his head a little at her. "Even if we are contracted, an Esper such as yourself shouldn't worry over the minutiae of my life."

"Are you trying to tell an aspect of magic how to live out her eternity?" she asked playfully.

"Shiva...I mean it."

"Oh alright," Shiva pouted, pulling herself away from him. "...so what sort of appointment are you keeping then?"

"I need to talk to Cid about recharging my Draw Materia. I used a huge amount of magic last night."

"I wondered," Shiva commented. "It felt like you had used up all of the magic I gave you." She then tilted her head. "Not Quetzie's though..."

"I had plentiful source of electricity," Leon explained. "Ice is a little harder to come by until winter."

"Ah, the conveniences of modern life and the annoyances of living in a more temperate climate," Shiva sighed. There was a small curve of her lips though. "Doesn't matter. Since you're my favourite, I'm happy to let you borrow from me." The elevator pinged just as it slowed down to a stop. "Better go. Wouldn't be good if others saw me."

"I'll call for you when I need your help next," Leon promised, lifting the arm with her Contract Mark up. Looking at it now, it just looked like a normal, if unusual, black tattoo; Shiva's power gave it the silver-blue gradient that people were more familiar with, though most didn't know the significance of the colour. "Come on... hide away."

Shiva smiled, her form melting away into a small flurry of snow and mist seeping back into his right arm, the colour slowly returning with the familiar piercing cold of ice magic. Leon sighed, tightening and releasing his hand as he ignored the sting. "Just my luck to have a contract with a busybody..." he muttered quietly to himself. Though Shiva's care was greatly appreciated; Espers didn't usually concern themselves with the affairs of others, much less appear as willy-nilly Shiva did at times. He dropped his arm and pushed himself from the glass. It wouldn't do him any good to be late.

* * *

Demyx was cradling his Cactaur Cola but not really drinking from it, stealing glances over to Zexion who looked lost in thought. He wasn't really sure what else to say to him... but he did wonder what the human did think of him. _Probably useless... I mean, wouldn't he'd rather be protected by Leon?_ He looked down at his feet, taking a deep breath. At least from the distance between them he couldn't hear Zexion's blood rushing about. It had been maddening trying to ignore it earlier in the elevator... and when he suddenly wrapped his arms around him protectively in front of the Patriarch. _Come on Demyx! Get a grip!_ He was sort of starting to wish Leon had just left Zexion alone rather than ask him for blood.

It was at that moment that Sora and Riku had finally reappeared, the hunter looking very subdued and sheepish. The daemon looked satisfied for now, calmly strolling up to them. Axel had taken to watching the late night chat show on a Friday night, actively ignoring their presence. Sora approached Zexion carefully, as if worried that his cousin had been turned while he had been... otherwise occupied. "Zexy?"

"I'm fine Sora," Zexion answered, looking up at him. "No one's touched me."

Demyx watched the relief wash over Sora. A part of him had wanted to say 'see, nothing to worry about' but he kept quiet, watching how this panned out. "Look, let's get out of here. I'll take you to the Overseers and the Master. They'll know what to do."

"Sure, because the Overseers that had somehow not caught on that there was a group of sorcerers gathering together and committing crimes is _really_ gonna protect him," Axel snidely remarked. His gaze was still firmly on the screen, not laughing even when the audience on the chat show was. Sora stormed over to him.

"And I should just let you guys have him as your own personal blood bank?!"

"You do realise that your fixation on that fact is starting to look a bit creepy now, right?"

Demyx sighed as the pair went back and forth, glancing over to Riku who had thrown his arms up in defeat. The daemon looked over to them. "If that didn't stop him, I don't know what will," he muttered. "Got any snacks? Might as well get comfy."

"Kitchen's just over there," Demyx said, pointing in it's general direction. Riku nodded his head gratefully to him and then left.

More awkward silence between him and Zexion, with Sora and Axel's bickering permeating the air. "Demyx..." Zexion finally spoke, causing the blond vampire to jolt in surprise.

"Yes?" He wondered if he had been a bit quick to answer because as he turned even Zexion looked a bit startled.

"I... I get that the book is bad... but what would happen if this... Organization did get all thirteen of them?"

Demyx frowned. He didn't really understand the finer details of how thirteen grimoires could spell the end for them, but he knew that it wouldn't be anything good if the Organization did get them. "Well... from how I understand it, it'd be like Armageddon." Zexion's rounded face went a little pale at hearing that. "The grimoires are... I guess you could say they're like doomsday keys? If they're all together, they're said to be able to bring about some sort of ultimate spell." He shrugged. "I dunno... I mean, I get the gist that Xehanort the Seeker was a bad guy, but it's never really been made clear what the books are meant to do when they're gathered."

"So no one knows?" he asked, raising a quizzical brow.

"I... I don't know." Did Leon know? It wouldn't be the first time his maker had kept things back from him. He ran a hand through his hair. "It's not exactly something that we can talk about openly."

"Why?"

"I dunno, maybe to stop people from getting ideas about trying to get them?"

"For someone desperately trying to stop something that may or may not be like the apocalypse, you're surprisingly ill-informed..."

Demyx had to concede to that... he didn't have all the answers. "Hey... Zexion..."

"Yeah?"

"I... I might not be the strongest, and I might not know all the answers to your questions but... I mean it when I said I'll protect you. I... I owe you my life after all." He half expected the surprised look on Zexion's face. It took everything within him to push back the long bangs of slate hair curtaining one half of his face, just so he could see both of his aqua eyes. _Stop it Demyx... you're getting ahead of yourself. This X-blood thing is affecting you way too much to be healthy..._ "So... now that you're a part of this world... trust me just a little."

Zexion turned his face away. "It's not that I don't trust you... so far you and the other two haven't given me too much reason to be suspicious of you but..." He sighed a little. "I guess this X-class blood situation partnered with the fact I'm being asked to consider being a sorcerer is a little much."

"Well, I guess both would take anyone off guard on their own," Demyx laughed lightly. "...do you really want to become a sorcerer?"

"...If I'm honest, the thought sort of scares me," Zexion replied. "But I don't want to be some sort of damsel in distress. I want to be able to protect myself. If learning how to use magic is the way to do it, then... then so be it."

"So you're only doing it because you don't want to be a bother to anyone else?" He wondered if maybe he had spoken out of turn, because the young man had jolted violently in response to the question. "Ah... well... you see... I'm not questioning it... but... um..." He took a deep breath; _Come on Demyx... get the words out for once._ "It just seems that you're doing it for everyone else's sake rather than your own."

Zexion said nothing for a while, not even attempting to make eye contact with Demyx. "...this is bigger than me. So I shouldn't put my own self-preservation before everyone else's."

 _I don't believe that for a second..._ That was what he had wanted to say but he kept silent. He already got the idea that Zexion was only going along with this because the alternative was so much more worse. "You know... we could-" He was interrupted when the alarm went off, causing him and Axel to jump up to their feet. Zexion looked at him confused; Sora was on high alert. Riku came hurtling back in at this point.

"What is that?" Sora asked.

"That's an intruder alert," Axel answered. "...they are desperate."

"Dusks?"

"Probably." Axel started moving quickly. "You coming Dem?"

"I've got to watch over Zexion."

"Just leave him up here. It's not like those Nobodies are even going to get this high," Axel said dismissively. Demyx shuffled a little closer to Zexion.

"Leon said that I couldn't let Zexion out of my sight."

Axel gave out an irritated sigh. "And I'm not going to be able to do much without you, so come with me already." He turned to him. "You know for a fact that we're a team."

"We could protect him," Sora piped up.

"Nice try kid, but I know for a fact that you'll try and run off with Zexion once you get the chance," Axel snarled. He then looked between the four... then threw his arms up in frustration. "ALRIGHT! Since we can't agree on anything, _all_ of us are going down!"

"All of us?!" Sora exclaimed.

"Ya deaf? All of us!" Axel was striding at a fast pace, his long legs covering the distance to the elevator in double quick time. "You coming or what?!"

Sora groaned in defeat but he hurried along, Riku at his heels once he had passed the daemon. Demyx was a bit shellshocked by the turn of events... but he turned to look down at Zexion. "Well... I'd rather not put you in danger if I can help it..."

"Are you going to be okay? I mean... you need a water source, right?" Zexion murmured.

"Hopefully it's outside. I can manage with sewer water." He stretched out. "Otherwise I guess I'll just have to borrow some from the plumbing again." He frowned. "Geez... having hydrokinesis can be such a pain in the ass..." Zexion chuckled softly, causing Demyx to look over. _Well... he doesn't look overly worried, so I must be doing something right if he's relaxed enough to do that._ "What?"

"It's just... funny I guess. Yesterday I would have thought all of you were mad talking about these kinds of powers. Now it's already feeling normal." Zexion smiled a little. "Guess that makes me a little weird as well, doesn't it?"

Demyx was going to protest against this but Axel interrupted him with an abrupt, "Are you two lovebirds coming or not?!" This was promptly followed by Sora: "Lovebirds?!"

"I could stay up here?" Zexion offered.

"Nah, Leon would kill me if I left you unattended." Without really thinking about it, Demyx's hand found Zexion's wrist again. "Come on. I'll find you a safe place to hide, 'kay?"

"Would you both hurry up already?!" Axel's voice demanded irritably.

* * *

He would have thought it serendipitous that Cid had literally just finished replenishing his gunblade's Draw Materia, but right now Leon was trying to get his head around the fact that Nobodies had approached the clan grounds. Nobodies had never come this close before and so early in the night time too. Was it because they had sensed the book's presence here? He just hoped that Demyx and Axel had the sense to stay put. He skidded over to the balcony that looked down into the reception hall, glancing down to see where the Nobodies were.

While he had expected the Cavaliere ranks to be down there in the fighting, and expected the triplets to be cowering under their marble desk while awaiting rescue or a chance to escape, he had not expected the towering Nobody that had currently filled up the space. He covered his ears as it let out a roar, grimacing as the sound ringed in the depths of his head. He could already feel both of his arms reacting to this. "No... both of you stay hidden. I've got this." He pulled his gunblade out of its sheath and leapt onto the railing, waiting for the right moment to strike. "Come on... look in my direction..."

He waited until it's head, faceless with only the Organization's logo on it, turned. When it finally did, he launched himself off, pressing the trigger of his gunblade to activate Thunder Mode. He could feel his left arm reacting to that. _Thanks Quezacotl..._ With a large spark of electricity, his gunblade began to glow bright yellow, the blade crashing down upon the large Nobody's head as he zipped right past. He barely managed to land on his feet, wincing as he felt shockwaves go up his legs. A few of the Cavalieres, those who were newer vampires and had never witnessed one of the Noblesse fight, audibly gasped in awe at his... well, this was definitely one of his more dramatic entrances he had made over the years.

The scream that the Nobody let out caused him to turn around, the sound nearly deafening him. "That didn't work...?" His Contract Marks were burning even more violently. _I mean it. Stay hidden._ He watched it a little longer... no, no it had worked. Much more than the Cavalieres hitting at its feet did. "Everyone! Aim for the head! Use your Materia to get you up there!" He pulled the trigger again, the blade turning ice blue as he swung it in an arc. A wave of ice crystallised, Cavalieres using the extra platform to launch themselves up, him following suit.

He hadn't seen the elevator making its progress down from the penthouse levels.

* * *

"What is that thing?!" Demyx yelped as they finally caught sight of the attacking Nobody. Zexion's had to agree with the sentiment, looking at the hulking creature in alarm. Although in some ways it looked comical in the body suit that was clearly sagging in some places, the thorns jutting out from its body were horrifying to look at.

"A Twilight Thorn..." Sora murmured, looking over to Riku. "Wasn't it that thing we were fighting last night?"

"Hmm... clever..." Riku mused, clearly not listening to Sora. He made a small 'oof' sound when Sora elbowed him sharply. "Uh, yes, right. Yeah, we fought that last night. I guess these guys have a built in magic block of some sort."

"A magic block?" Axel asked, raising one short eyebrow.

"When we were fighting it, we had no idea what was going on around us outside of a fifty foot radius, give or take a foot." Riku looked over to the two vampires. "Hell, when we destroyed it, it was almost like it had never been there in the first place. Anything that got destroyed as collateral appeared completely undamaged when it was all over."

"Interesting..." Axel mused.

"Is that why you couldn't 'sense' that I was in trouble last night?" Zexion asked Sora. He watched as dawning glistened in his blue eyes. Zexion looked back down to the creature that they were descending ever closer to. "If this... Organization knew that you were lingering around me, then it stands to reason that they must have used one of these things to distract you while all those Dusk things attacked me at my place. I mean... it stands to reason that they must know that the book is here to send another one of these things."

"Good thinking Zex," Demyx nodded his head. "I'm guessing that they might not have counted on us being close by to you." He frowned. "Though... I don't know how they would have figured it'd be here though..."

"We'll worry about all that later," Axel grumbled, his thumb flicking his lighter open and shut. "Dem, you gonna be okay borrowing from the plumbing?"

"It'll do for now," Demyx replied. "I'll get a barrier around me and Zexion and leave the sweaty work to you guys." He grinned, putting a thumbs up. "Enjoy beating the Thorn up~"

"Coward right to the end, huh Dem..." Axel sardonically commented. Demyx merely widened his grin as if in an attempt to dazzle his blood brother. The elevator came to a stop at this point, pinging as the door opened. "Whelp! Let's get to work then!"

* * *

Leon skidded across the marble floor, glaring at the Thorn in annoyance while simultaneously ignoring the throbbing in his arms. He quickly glanced down at his gunblade, taking a look at the Draw Materia implanted into the barrel. Although he had been borrowing power sparingly from both of his Contract Marks, he was running out of drawn magic quickly judging by how burnt out three of his six Materia pieces in the chamber were. "Shit..." Leon swore, nearly slamming the chamber back into place. He was getting careless.

It was at this moment he noticed Axel running out of the elevator. He was soon followed by the hunter and his daemon partner, with Demyx and Zexion scooting around the edge to head over to the desk where the triplets were still cowering under. "What are you doing here?!" he demanded.

"Helping!" Axel answered, flicking his lighter open and flicking a large fireball at the Thorn's head. "Head shot~" Sadly not enough to take it down for good.

"But you don't have your weapon!"

"It's alright! I'll just rely on the old pyrokinesis!"

Leon's eyes caught sight of Sora and Riku dashing past them, blinking as the hunter's hands started glowing while his partner's were being cloaked with fiery shadows. They moved as if they were one being, seamlessly following each other's attacks while dodging the Thorn's assaults with surprising dexterity and agility. Leon swore that he had seen those essences even shape themselves into weapons for close quarters combat.

"Alright. Cover me!" Leon charged forward, letting his blade skim across the floor before launching into another assault, avoiding the forms of his clan members as they were pushed back. He pulled the trigger again, releasing yet another burst of electricity to hum down his weapon.

* * *

Demyx had put his hand down against the ground, watching as water started to flow towards him from the cracks in the floor and from anywhere that was attached to the plumbing system, from the bathrooms to the cleaner's closet. He smiled reassuringly at the triplets who were all clinging to each other in fear. "Don't worry, the barrier will hold up while the attention is on the others," he promised, lifting his arm up quickly to form the liquid shield up around them all.

Although this was the second time Zexion had seen this happen, it was still impressive. "What are we going to do?" he asked him.

"For now, we need to get the girls out of here," Demyx said, flinching as a spine from the Thorn ricocheted against his barrier. Zexion had half expected it to pierce straight through; he'd have to ask how Demyx did that. "We'll get them to the elevator."

Zexion could only nod, though his hand subconsciously hovered over his messenger bag. _I could use it... I could use this to help...NO! No! You don't know how to use it! It's too risky! What if it takes over completely?! But people are going to get hurt or worse die if I don't do something!_ He jolted as his hand was taken by Demyx's, feeling how cold it was... odd because earlier his hand seemed to be about as warm as anyone else's. An effect of using hydrokinesis? Or was it something to do with his being a vampire...?

"Whatever thought you're having about the book, try to fight it," he said softly. "I... I don't want you to get hurt because of it." Demyx then gestured for the triplets to come out of their hiding spot, craning his head over the desk. "Okay... now is as good a time as any. They're keeping the Thorn busy." He ducked back down, gesturing for them to get ready to run. "On a count of three, run as fast as you can to the elevator." The triplets only nodded their heads, their dark eyes swimming in fear. Zexion kept himself hidden under the desk, deciding to stay put for now. _I can do something... but what..._ "Three! Go!" Demyx pushed his hand forward, and in a flash the barrier shrunk and was moving with the triplets who were running as fast as they could to the elevator. Zexion's eyes widened as he watched water douse Demyx as it moved away from him, droplets clinging to his hair and skin, clothes damp and stuck to his form. He himself managed to keep dry by hiding under the desk, water drops hanging from the edge and falling to the floor. _I can do something... I can do something... but what... what can I do..._ Demyx looked over to him with a reassuring grin. "Whelp, that's one worry out of the way." _What can I do...?_ His hand once more was hovering over his messenger bag.

He could hear it calling to him, whispering that he could even save them all... all he had to do was open it. Demyx's hand, still gripped around it, tightened lightly. "Zexion... ignore it. Please." He could only tighten his lips... he felt so weak and helpless... unable to do anything... a burden on others... _I want to do something... please let me help for once..._ He jumped when a form went flying over them, smacking against the wall with a sickening crack.

It was Leon. "L-Leon?!" Demyx gasped.

"Damn... this thing packs a punch..." Leon grumbled, using the wall to push himself back to his feet. "Heh... I'm almost impressed..." Zexion could see that his white shirt was being dyed red with blood... his blood. And in his head, he already jumped to the conclusion based on Demyx's injury only the night before. _They don't have much blood... that's why they drink... they drink to survive... if they don't have enough blood in their body they'll wither away..._ He knew his head was running away with ideas that had no confirmation. When Leon lost his footing and partially slid down the wall, using his odd sword to steady himself, Zexion scurried over to him, nearly ripping Demyx's hand away from him. Leon just stared at him, his steel-blue gaze flickering between their normal colour and flashing silver. "I'm alright Zexion... just concentrate on staying hidden." Zexion just lifted his wrist up, staring at him and saying nothing. Leon just stared at the wrist on offer to him, his head tilting as if questioning it.

Demyx had said nothing, only looking between the pair of them.

"...I thought you were against the idea," Leon finally commented.

"You need it, don't you?" Zexion replied. "...it's alright. If this... if this is the only thing I can do to help right now, then I'll do it."

Leon kept his gaze on the wrist... and then turned his flashing eyes up at Zexion. "You're far too self-sacrificing, you know that?" He then sighed, carefully taking the wrist in his large, gloved hand. Zexion was nearly taken aback by how icy the hand felt. "Well... it's pragmatic I suppose. Two birds, one stone." He lifted the wrist up to his mouth, pulling down the sleeve delicately. His eyes closed as he leaned in and opened his mouth. Zexion could see the fangs glinting in the light before they sank down into the flesh of his wrist.

If Zexion had looked back to Demyx at this moment rather than stare in fascination as Leon started to suckle on him, he might have seen the dark look that had briefly crossed his face.


	6. Aftershock

**A/N:** It took me a while to get this chapter out, mostly because I kept mulling over whether I should do a certain scene or not - that and I _had_ to try and get the next chapter of _Whispers_ out since it had been a while that it was last updated too. In the end, it's in here now; I think you guys might like it.

Okay, thank you every one for reading and reviewing last chapter! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well, and reviews will be greatly appreciated! (Thanks goes to Ray, the sole anonymous reviewer. You're awesome.) - love from, Rosa xx

* * *

Zexion fought back the urge to gasp as he watched Leon suckle upon his wrist, seeing only the smallest dribble of crimson blood fall down his arm. The vampire was quiet in his feeding, taking his time despite the fact they were in mid-combat. Zexion didn't feel woozy like he did last time at all, but the weird pleasurable sensation was still the same, causing him to squirm uncomfortably. Leon soon detached from him, running his tongue along the bite in a slow circle. His eyes opened; they were glowing silver. He gave him a rather feline smile, but it had disappeared as he gripped his strange weapon and stood up, strength returned. "Thanks for that," Leon said; Zexion blinked hard as he noticed that Leon's tattoo sleeves seemed to pulsing with light. "I'm feeling a lot better already." He licked the corner of his mouth, cleaning up the last speck of blood that had clung there.

Within seconds he dashed off, his strangely shaped weapon pulsing in a golden yellow glow. Zexion turned his head to watch, seeing the Noblesse vampire darting about the Thorn with ease. It was now that he was having a proper look at the action... and seeing just how incredible they all were. Sora and Riku were practically launching themselves off the glass walls, covered in white and black auras while moving. Axel and another vampire had taken to a rather interesting tactic; he would fire off fireballs at them, they would direct the hit straight at the Thorn's head with a well-timed swipe of their stave. There were two other vampires who were throwing projectiles from a safe distance, their overly large shurikens returning like boomerangs after bouncing off their target. Then there were vampires armed with melee weapons, vampires who were using hand gestures to use powers either to aid their companions or hinder the Thorn further.

And he was pretty much just sitting there on his knees, unable to do anything. "...I'm the damsel in distress here, aren't I..."

"You'll get stronger eventually," Demyx replied as he walked up behind him, pulling up a wall of water to separate them from the action. "Besides, it's... it's not like you didn't help out." He then squat down next to Zexion. "And hey... at least now you're not going to be bothered by other vampires because they smelled weak-ass me all over you." Demyx suddenly went stiff, eyes focusing on the Thorn before grabbing Zexion and hurling them out of the way; one, sleek white and grey arm slammed on the floor where they had been only seconds before, the marble cracking and crumbling under it. "...aaaaaand that's confirmed that they just want the book, not the person that comes with it."

Zexion could only stare... _they'll kill me if it means they get the book_... This thought ran through his mind in panicked circles, yet somehow... somehow it felt like this was the wakeup call he had needed. _If I don't do something, I'm going to die... or cause someone to get hurt because I couldn't defend myself..._ His hand once again hovered over his messenger bag. _But if I use this... there's no telling what it will do to me..._

– _ **So why deny yourself the chance to find out what you're made of?**_

The thought startled him. He didn't know why it had crossed his mind as strongly as it had. His hand was already lifting the flap of his bag and sinking into it, his hand feeling the smooth leather of the book's spine as it carefully grasped it. He knew he shouldn't be doing this... but damn it, he wasn't going to just sit around and do nothing!

He wondered if Demyx had noticed, but he supposed he was too busy trying to keep his watery shield up as the Thorn refocused it's efforts towards them. The book was now in his hands... and he had lifted the front cover; they were moving with a deep inner knowledge that was at once foreign yet familiar to him, fingers skimming across pages until finally they stopped at a page.

* * *

Axel growled in irritation as yet another of his fireballs had hit the Thorn squarely on the head, yet seemed no nearer to being stopped in it's destructive path. His vibrant green eyes flicked about, surveying the damage the reception hall and the few overhanging balconies and walkways of the closest upper floors had taken; he hoped what Sora and Riku had claimed was right, because this was going to be one heck of a clean up job. That's when he noticed Zexion.

Demyx was clearly otherwise occupied while the Thorn continued to thrash about against his liquid wall, but Zexion was standing up, book open and, as best as his eyesight could make out through the blur of water, his lips were moving. "Shit... Demyx!" he yelled over to the blond, but his voice was lost over yet another crash against the barrier. This was followed by another ear-splitting roar, causing all the vampires to cover their sensitive ears and forcing the hunter pair to lose their momentum; Riku was quick to turn his form under Sora to protect him from the worst of the fall, the pair smacking into the marble floor with a sickening crack.

Worse still, the roar had broken Demyx's concentration as he too covered his ears, leaving him and Zexion vulnerable. The petite man was unflinchingly continuing whatever he was doing, his lips moving and, now, Axel could see that his eyes were turning into that eerie white glow. He looked around wildly, trying to search out Leon … then realising that the Noblesse vampire had launched himself into the air again in the confusion. Axel watched as Leon came slamming down onto the Thorn, slicing it's head in two with a giant blade of burning ice encasing his gunblade. The ice spread out from the cut, causing the head to shatter into tiny pieces, coloured black from the Thorn's blood.

As he landed on his feet, Axel found that his breath had hitched when he realised just how Leon had managed to deal the decisive blow on the Thorn; some kind of glowing orb was covering his ears on each side, orbs that Axel assumed must have blocked out the Thorn's roar. Black blood rained down on them as the Thorn's body wobbled and toppled over with a crash, wisps of black and white smoke and material listlessly floating away from it. The orbs disappeared from Leon's ears and he looked around. "Who did that?" he asked as Axel approached him.

"That wasn't you?" Axel questioned; Leon did have a pretty solid relationship with two Espers after all, so he was sure one of them must have been the one to give him the funky ear pieces.

"No," Leon answered; the ice blade was now melting away, revealing the cool steel blade of his weapon. Shiva's doing most likely, though Axel had never seen her himself. "Whoever blocked out the noise, that was a good idea." He looked around, but none of the Cavalieres stepped forward. "Someone must have done that."

"Leon!" Demyx's voiced shouted. Both turned swiftly over to where Demyx was.

He was carrying a now limp form of Zexion, the book held tightly in the unconscious man's arm. Axel made to go over to them but Leon put a hand in front of him. "Go check on the hunter pair," Leon told him. His steel blue eyes glanced back to the now panicking Demyx. "I'll deal with this."

Axel just nodded his head in response, turning on his heel to go to the small crater that had been left by the hunting pair's rather unfortunate fall. Strolling over casually, hands in his pockets, he nodded his head in acknowledgement to the other Cavalieres that were now licking their wounds or trying to contact the higher levels. His boots lightly kicked against some crumbly rubble as he came to the shallow crater edge, looking down at the pair who were wincing from the fall. "Yo," he waved down. "Had a nice trip down?"

"Smart ass..." Riku growled, sitting up carefully while carrying Sora up with him. The brunet was currently nursing his head. There was a sound of ruffling and, for a moment, Axel caught sight of a pair of draconic looking wings before they winked out of existence.

"Ah, so you used your wings to cushion the fall. Clever." Axel didn't even bother to offer a hand; it looked like Riku had pretty much everything under control on his end.

"Not clever," Riku retorted. "Obvious." He then turned down to Sora. "You okay? How's your head?"

"It's ringing..." Sora grumbled. "I... I don't remember the Twilight Thorn being that tough..."

"Well, seeing as you fought it yesterday _and_ couldn't sense that your cousin was in danger, I'm guessing it was only stalling for time," Axel commented. "Jeez... and here I thought you'd actually be halfway decent to face a Twilight Thorn, newbie."

Axel stepped back just as Sora lunged forward, putting a long hand in front of him and using it to stop the kid from reaching. He started laughing under his breath at how ridiculous the scene probably looked with the kid flailing his arms about like an angry wasp, so near yet so far from their intended target. Riku struggled to his feet behind him, cracking his bones back into place with sharp jerks. "I guess we underestimated it... it won't be happening again that's for sure," Riku muttered. He then looked over to where Leon and Demyx were currently huddled over the passed out Zexion. "...is he okay?"

"Couldn't say right now," Axel answered truthfully. "I got told to come check up on you two." His eyes glanced over to them again. "...hope he's alright though... I think the book's power got to him." Sora looked ready to dash over... but he hesitated. This took Axel by surprise. "Would have thought you'd jump if your cousin even had a paper cut."

"It's not that I'm not worried," Sora frowned. He then deflated a little. "...I'm not cut out for this, am I?"

"Sora..." Riku reached over, wrapping an arm around the little hunter's shoulder. Axel fought back the urge to remark on how intimate the gesture was. "It's alright. We'll do better next time."

"But what if next time it's just us protecting Zexion?! We can't even beat a Twilight Thorn without help!" Sora deflated again. "I bet Vani could..."

Axel sighed. Honestly, he didn't know how to deal with kids... particularly kids who were having a crisis of any kind. "Look, he's fine. He's not hurt. The Thorn's deader than a dodo-" He nodded over to the Thorn that was still disappearing in fine, effervescent threads. "-and okay maybe he did let the book influence him a little but that book could just have easily used the chance to get rid of him." He crossed his arms impatiently. "If you've got time to have the pity party, then you've got time to get your shit together and just _accept_ that you're not going to be able to protect Zexion on your own." Sora only blinked in response to that. Even Riku looked taken aback by his outburst. "Jeezus guys... not even _Leon_ could have taken that Thorn on his own and I, hand on cold, barely beating heart, would happily admit that he's the strongest one here besides maybe one or two vampires in the clan. Hell, I think even Leon would tell you that his chances of survival against a Thorn when he's on his own is slim to none. But he'd still try his fucking hardest if it meant at least buying time for everyone else to get away!"

"But-"

"Don't give me the 'but he's a vampire so of course he's got a better chance than me' crap! Being a vampire doesn't give anyone any sort of advantage." If anything, Axel had thought, it had a massive disadvantage in that all it took was one serious injury to take a vampire out. "Besides, as much as we all hate to admit it, we're only here now because of Zexion and that book."

Sora's blue gaze glanced over to where Zexion was... then he slowly nodded his head. "You're right..." he muttered softly. "...you're right." He took a deep breath. "I just... I just didn't want Zexion to be in this world for the long haul..."

"Sorry kid, but the book had other ideas," Axel said. "So just work with it for now." He then turned on his heel. "So if you're done with the pity party, I'm going to go over there and tell Leon that you both seem to only be suffering from bruised egos, 'kay pumpkin?" He didn't even bother to wait for them to follow him, just nonchalantly strolling over to where Leon and Demyx were. Work with it, he said, yet Axel knew that the first chance that he got he was going to burn that book for two centuries worth of shit and headaches it had caused.

* * *

Demyx looked over to Leon, trying to read his maker's facial expressions as he checked over Zexion. He could tell that Leon was only barely standing, his shirt stained by his own blood as well as the Thorn's blackened blood. As much as he hadn't liked the fact that Leon had drunk from Zexion, he had to admit that he was glad he did. "Is... Is Zexion going to be okay?"

"Thankfully it seems that it hasn't done any lasting damage," Leon murmured. "...we need to be more careful."

"And what about you?" Leon glanced up. "Well... you did nearly take part of the wall out."

"I'm fine," Leon replied; Demyx noticed that Leon was swaying a little. "Nothing a little rest can't fix." He made to stand up, lost his footing for a moment... and was swiftly caught by Axel's long arms. He grumbled a little to himself before muttering, "Thanks..."

"My, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you were fa-"

"Do not finish that sentence," Leon growled. "I'm not in the mood for your jokes."

"Wow, you sure ice magic doesn't come out of your ass naturally?" They were soon joined by Sora and Riku, the former on his knees with Demyx.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Sora asked.

"...yeah," Demyx replied. "He... he just needs a bit of rest, that's all." He glanced down to Zexion... then let himself smile a bit. "I guess he doesn't like feeling useless either..." He could understand that. He then looked back to Sora. "How about you?"

"Huh? Oh... yeah I'm fine." Sora then noticed Leon struggling to stay on his feet, Axel and even Riku supporting him a bit. "What about him?"

"Well, Zexion did offer him blood so that'll keep him going until he can get somewhere to rest."

"...oh." Sora glared a bit at Leon, but said nothing of what he might have been truly thinking. Demyx knew that was probably for the best... after all, for the briefest of moments he had thought ' _mine_ ' when Leon dared -no, no, not dared, Zexion wasn't his. Zexion didn't belong to anyone. _Come on Demyx, fight that..._ "I'm going to need to have a word with Zexion about this blood drinking thing."

"It's not like we'd drink him dry."

"Yeah, like I'd believe any creature who has to take something from mortals in order to survive," Sora said, a frown firmly on his features. Demyx tried to hide a grimace at the remark; it wasn't the first time a hunter showed them mistrust, but this time certainly stung more harshly than previous times. "There's no guarantee that none of you won't go rogue... and I'm not willing to put Zexion in any sort of danger if I can help it."

Demyx pursed his lips tightly. _No guarantee..._ He knew and understood why the mistrust given Zexion's status as an X-class but... "Then how about this since I get the feeling you don't have a lot of faith in me in particular." _You're an idiot for doing this Demyx... but you have to concede to his point. You drank from someone that you shouldn't really have, even if it was done in an emergency._ "If I even look at him funny, or look like I'm on the brink, you've got full permission to deal with me however you see fit. Fair?" Before checking Sora's reaction -apprehension as he had half expected- he looked over to see if either of his blood brothers, particularly Leon, had heard that. It seemed that they were busy checking on the other Cavalieres in the area, speaking to Fuu and Rai at that moment. He glanced back to Sora.

"...Fair," Sora muttered in response. "...you're probably the first vampire that's ever volunteered their own destruction."

"Pretty sure that I'm not the first and definitely not the last," Demyx replied, putting on a cheerful smile despite wondering if he had just signed his own death sentence. He felt Zexion stir a bit in his arms at that moment, causing him to look down. _Though Sora does have a point... you can't keep offering your blood willy-nilly._ He pulled the smaller man closer to him, lifting him up carefully as he made to stand. "...he's surprisingly light..."

"Huh?"

"Zexion. He's a lot lighter than I expected." He looked at Sora. "I mean vampires are pretty strong, but it's not like we wouldn't feel the weight of a person."

"Oh... well, I guess he's always been a bit underweight..." Sora replied non-committally. Demyx gave Sora a stern gaze -if either of his blood brothers had seen it, he was sure they'd be surprised to see it. The hunter squirmed a little and then relented: "Zexion had a tendency to forget about eating while he was at university." Demyx still maintained his stare. "...alright alright... it's not for me to say it really but Zexion's... never had the greatest relationship with food."

"Meaning...?"

"I dunno... I mean, I kinda know but... that's really for Zexion to tell you rather than me." Sora smiled weakly at him. "And besides, I don't trust you fully so why should I tell you something like that about him?"

Once again, Demyx had to concede to that point. Even so though... it was worrying. He walked over to Leon who was still being tended to while having his conversation with Fuu and Rai... a conversation that went along the lines of 'where the bloody hell was Seifer in all this?!' "Um, Leon, I'm gonna take Zexion up to the medical labs," Demyx said, holding the smaller man tightly to his chest. "I think Aerith could help."

Leon glanced over to Demyx... then nodded his head. "Alright. If it looks like he only needs to rest up, take him back up to our floor."

"Will do."

"I'm coming with," Sora declared, appearing by Demyx's side. "You coming Riku?"

Riku nodded his head, carefully leaning Leon further against Axel before releasing him. Axel frowned heavily. "Oh yeah, just let me carry the dead weight... not like I've got anything better to do."

"Axel, I'm seriously going to stab you if you don't shut it," Leon growled. Riku just gave them a weak slightly apologetic smile before going to Sora's side. "I'm counting on you Demyx."

Demyx could only nod his head... though a dark part of him was glad that Leon didn't seem that overly attached to Zexion to want to come with them. _What am I thinking?_ He shook his head violently as if it would shake away these weird thoughts he was having. This in turn earned an odd look from everyone else.

"Demyx... what are you doing?" Axel asked.

"You sure you're going to be okay taking Zexion up to the medical labs?" Leon queried.

"I'll be fine!" Demyx retorted. "See you guys later!" He started striding towards the elevators, Sora and Riku at his heels.

* * *

The world was bleary as he opened his eyes, sharp light filling his sight. His eyes struggled to adjust, but once they did he was greeted by the sight of the clinical white ceiling, the sounds of digitised beeping and the instantly familiar medicinal smell. His mind though did not immediately ask about where _he_ was, but where _the book_ was. He turned his head both sides, sighing in belief when he saw the Book of Retribution was lying on the bedside table on his left. He then noticed a head of dirty blond hair lying on the bed he was on. _Demyx?_

"Ah, you're awake." Zexion turned his head, watching as a woman approached them. Her white coat made him assume she was some sort of doctor, but the pink dress and soft brown boots was throwing him off a little; doctors within the medical field in his mind always looked somewhat professional. "How are you feeling?" she asked with her soft voice; it was the sort that might have been able to charm baby birds out of their nests. "Not feeling lethargic, dizzy or a bit faint?"

"Just tired," Zexion replied cautiously. He had, after all, caught sight of her vampiric fangs. "...where am I?"

"The medical laboratories at DiZ Corp." She then gasped, her verdant eyes widening in realisation. "Oh of course! I completely forgot! My name is Aerith Gainsborough. I'm one of the medical officers here." She bent down a little. "It's my job to make sure everyone's okay. Though you are a special case." Zexion did wonder what she had meant by that, but his thoughts were interrupted by an agonised groan coming from another room. Aerith straightened up. "Hmm... though, it is worrying that Nobodies tried to attack the Clan..."

Zexion carefully sat up, trying not to disturb Demyx in the process. "How... how long have I been out for?"

"Most of the morning," Aerith replied. "It's ten o'clock right now." She chewed a little on her bottom lip with some uncertainty before then adding, "You and the ones fighting the Twilight Thorn were lucky."

"How?" Zexion grumbled. His head was throbbing right now.

"You and your book were there to help Leon," Aerith answered. "Seifer's team at the top were on their own."

Zexion flinched. "Wait... you mean there was another attack?"

Aerith nodded her head in confirmation. "It was a coordinated attack. We're lucky that no one was killed." Zexion had expected her to say 'seriously injured', but 'killed' made him realise just how dangerous this world he had been brought into really was. "Please don't worry though. It just took the Clan by surprise. We'll be ready for them next time they try."

 _I don't want there to be a next time..._ Zexion looked down at his hands, trying his hardest to remember but... he was just drawing a blank. He remembered thinking he could help after watching everyone doing their best to take the Twilight Thorn down, but after that, nothing. Nothing at all. He jolted a little when he heard a snuffle, turning and seeing that Demyx had turned his head to the other side. "...has he been with me this whole time?"

"He wouldn't leave your side," Aerith chuckled. "It was really sweet."

"What about Leon?"

"He's been coming in to check on you, but I think he's getting some sleep now. He needs it after the amount of magic he went through."

"And his injury...?"

"Fully healed," Aerith smiled. "One good thing about vampire constitutions is that we heal quickly so long as we don't bleed out."

Zexion couldn't help but feel relieved about that, but he also felt that perhaps he had brought what happened last night upon them. _If I hadn't bought that book, none of this would have happened... no... no I'm sure something_ like _this would have happened eventually but you just... sped the inevitability up._ He pulled his knees up to his chest. "...what about my cousin? The hunter?"

"Had to leave as much as he didn't want to," Aerith explained. "Something about needing to get to school. His partner went with him." She then reached over and nudged his shoulder gently. "Now you should keep resting. We had to perform a blood transfusion for you since you didn't give your body time to recover the blood you offered the first time."

"But I-"

"Doctor's orders sweetie," Aerith smiled. In that moment, her kind verdant eyes glimmered hypnotically. Zexion felt compelled to obey, wordlessly lying down. "I'll come back to check up on you later. If you need anything, just press the button." She pointed to it on the wall by his head. "One of my staff will tend to it."

"Um... thanks."

"You're welcome." She reached over him and petted Demyx's head affectionately. "Silly boy... how many times do I have to tell you to take care of yourself as well."

Zexion wondered what she had meant by that... but the affection held deep in her words and actions made him think again. It wasn't for him to pry into that... even if it did strangely make him uneasy. Like Demyx could be taken away from him. _You're being ridiculous Zexion... you've just formed an attachment to him because he's saved your life. That's all._ He turned a little to his side, looking at Demyx, when Aerith moved away at long last. _That's all it is..._

* * *

Leon winced as he stood up carefully from his seat, one hand nursing his injured side. He'd been reckless last night... a mistake he wasn't going to repeat. On top of that, he had exhausted Shiva and Quezacotl with all the magic he borrowed from them, their marks' colours dull as they rested and recovered their magical reserves. Espers were powerful, but even they had their limits.

"Hey, take it easy." Axel's long, bony fingers were on Leon's shoulders and he gently pushed him back down to sit on the sofa. His catlike green eyes, normally filled with mirth, were now showing growing concern. "You're no use to anyone half-dead and you know it."

"I'm already half-dead," Leon scoffed.

"No no no no, _Demyx_ is half-dead. _I'm_ half-dead. _You_ are a pureblooded vampire so you're pretty much leaning more towards the alive camp despite the immortality and need to drink blood." He then raised a short, vibrant red eyebrow. "You... have been drinking blood, right?"

"...on doctor's orders," Leon grumbled, pointing to the half drunk bag of blood lying next to a full one. "The X-class did wonders but I didn't take too much from Zexion since it wasn't really safe for him to be drank from two nights on the trot. As Aerith put it, it was enough to keep me going and give me the boost I needed, but not enough for a full recovery."

"Wow... X-class that powerful..." Axel mused. "Maybe I should try some." Leon threw him a pointed look. "Oh you know I'm kidding. We might be blood brothers but we're not close enough to start sharing donors." Leon knew for a fact that wasn't the case at all; blood siblings, makers and their children all could share blood donors so long as everyone was comfortable with it. Axel being a dhampir meant that his dietary needs were a bit more specific. To be more precise, Axel had to drink more blood than a pureblood vampire and a turned vampire needed to. It was easier if Axel, should he decide to drink from a donor, didn't share his meals.

Axel was also probably making sure that Zexion remained off limits to him; there was no telling what sort of bloodlust could awaken after a taste of X-class. "So are you going to drink the rest?"

"I'm finding it a bit difficult if I'm honest," Leon sighed. "I can't get used to the plastic taste..." Axel snorted. "Yeah yeah, mock me for being an old fossil and wishing for the days you just plucked a willing donor from the streets and gave them something to remember."

"Or forget in some cases," Axel sniggered. Leon sometimes wished he had Axel or Aerith's talents for suggestion and hypnosis. Axel was a master of suggestion when he wanted to be, and Aerith's hypnotic eyes always had donors turn to putty in her gentle hands. Then again, for a Noblesse he wasn't that bad at those vampire abilities.

Demyx was awful at both abilities; Leon remembered in the early days of turning Demyx that trying to train him to seduce potential donors was just a comedy of errors. He looked at the bag with annoyance. "If that plastic taste was taken away I'd be more inclined to drink this..."

"Ah stop whinging. Even if Demyx isn't here you really ought to practice what you preach." Axel tilted his head at Leon as, begrudgingly, he punctured the bag again with his fangs and drank. He pulled a face as that unpleasant flavour of plastic assailed his taste buds. Axel sighed. "Geez... and you're supposed to be the mature one despite being younger than me." Leon blinked as Axel reached over to the other bag and started drinking from it.

"Oi!"

"It's fine. I'm taking the plastic out of the equation." Axel smirked a little, a droplet of blood dribbling down his chin from the corner of his mouth. "What are blood brothers for, eh?"

Leon's eyes widened in surprise. "...you don't have to do that..."

"I don't mind. Besides, I drank recently so you're not going to put me in any danger since this is surplus. Drink yours." Axel went back to sucking on his full bag. Leon finished his up, eyeing Axel's neck as he watched the Adam's apple bob. He wondered if Axel was doing this on purpose... probably, knowing the dhampir. Axel always did like to tease him on the quiet about... _that_. Axel sighed as he finally gulped the last few droplets, licking his lips as his emerald eyes glowed. "Well then... how do you want me? On the sofa? On the floor? Your room?"

"Shut up Axel," Leon frowned. "Get down here and face away from me. You know I can't reach that high."

Axel blinked. "Oh ho... so it is the neck..."

"Don't look deeply into it."

"Alright alright I won't." Axel rolled his eyes. "Noblesses... buncha bossy britches..." He then lowered himself onto the floor between Leon's legs. Facing away as asked, settling down cross-legged and tilting his head so that Leon could get better access to his neck.

Leon was just glad Demyx wasn't here. No doubt his blood brother and childe would read too deeply into this given how drinking from the neck was considered incredibly intimate, especially if your willing donor was also a vampire. He took a deep breath, letting himself relax as he leaned down and opened his mouth, fangs brushing against the soft pale skin. The familiar scent of smoke and ash filled his nostrils... well, familiar since Axel became a pyrokinetic. Axel was warm from recent blood drinking... and his neck was smelling delicious.

"Ahem... I'm _wai~ting_ ," Axel drawled in a singsong voice. It took everything within Leon not to smack Axel around the head for breaking the moment.

He finally pressed his fangs down, one arm wrapping around Axel's shoulder and chest to stop him from struggling. Not that the dhampir ever would. He just took a shuddery breath but ultimately stayed relax as Leon clamped his mouth around the bite and slowly started to suckle. It would only be a matter of time though when Axel would need to grab something when he started to feel a bit hazy.

Right on cue, Axel's hand had suddenly gripped Leon's leg. Out of comfort, Leon reached for Axel's hand and carefully lifted it way, letting the dhampir crush his fingers as he drank. Axel, for all his bravado, was not a fan of the pain that came with being drunk from, even if it was a pleasurable experience usually. He could hear Axel gritting his teeth even now. _Idiot_ , Leon thought fondly, but there was a reason why Axel bound himself to him. If it wasn't for Axel looking out for him, he was pretty sure Leon would have burnt out from all the stresses he had from his responsibilities.

He pulled away slowly, rolling his tongue along the bite languidly to aid in the healing factor before pulling away, feeling a little better. He licked the last few blood drops sticking to his lips before letting go of Axel's hand. "I told you you didn't have to do that..."

"Nngh... what's a little pain if it helps you out," Axel grunted. He looked over his shoulder at him. "You look a lot better already."

"Flattery will get you no where," Leon retorted.

"Damn, so close," Axel mock-groaned but he was grinning, albeit weakly. He then stretched out a bit but rather than standing back up, he leaned back into Leon and the sofa, his arms draping over Leon's knees. It took the Noblesse by surprise. "You're still going to take it easy, even if I have to physically be on top of the situation." He waggled his eyebrows. "If you get what I mean."

"Pervert," Leon sighed, rolling his eyes. "You'll never let me forget that will you."

"Nope~" Axel laughed. "Though I'll take it to the grave."

"Good, because I'll make sure it stays there." He attempted to push Axel off but the dhampir was not budging. He just resigned himself to being stuck. "...I'll have to check up on Zexion and Demyx later..."

"I know. I'll go with you." Axel shrugged. "Though if you look woozy, I'm going to insist that you stay here and I'll go instead."

"...tell me again how I ended up with you as a blood brother?"

"Because of my charms and devilish good looks?" Axel offered with a grin. He then shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe I have a thing for brunets who tend to overcomplicate things."

"I know for a fact that you have a thing for blondes," Leon pointed out. This earned him a toothy grin from Axel.

"There are always exceptions."

* * *

Demyx stirred, bleary eyes making out from the clock on the wall that it was getting closer to noon. He looked over to Zexion, relieved to see that he seemed to be resting still. When he glanced over to the bedside table where he had put the book down, he felt a surge of annoyance towards it. Stupid, potentially world-ending grimoire... even if it had meant he got to meet Zexion, why did it have to go and do that? He sighed, letting his chin rest in the palm of his left hand as his right idly slid towards Zexion's hands.

It was odd, but even though he had spent close to thirty-six hours in close contact with the human, this was the first time he actually had a chance to really look at him in finer detail. He took the quiet moment to observe the gentle curve of Zexion's nose, the soft roundness of his cheeks which contrasted the angularity of his jawline but not by much. That his slate coloured hair was actually a cacophony of blue, soft grey, indigo and violet strands that merged into the unusual colour, that the hair seemed to just naturally fall over his right eye and wasn't actually styled like he thought... His skin wasn't really completely pale either; it was mostly a rather subdued pinkish colour with patches and splatterings of blushes and very muted golden tones that congregated- Demyx gulped when he realised that some of the darker parts of Zexion's skin tone were concentrated around areas where the blood rush was the loudest. _Down boy..._ He turned his attention to Zexion's form.

He had a feeling that although the face looked healthy, the body might have suffered though he daren't check for himself. So he glanced at the collarbones... yes they were protruding a little too much, the skin stretched a little too far for his liking. Sora had mentioned that Zexion's relationship with food wasn't the greatest... but why? Then again, there was a lot he didn't know about Zexion... which he was hoping to remedy soon.

He smiled a little at the sleeping beauty. Well, stupid, world-ending grimoire or not, he was glad that it had meant that he got to meet Zexion. He was pretty sure they might have remained strangers if the grimoire hadn't brought their worlds crashing into each other. He frowned and looked over to the book. "Don't go thinking that I'm thanking you though," he growled at it. "I don't care if you're not sentient enough to understand what I'm saying to you and if I'm going to sound crazy threatening a book, but if you do anything to hurt Zexion... I'm going to find the biggest, deepest, darkest hole I can find and toss you in there after setting fire to you." He wondered if he was going crazy by threatening a book certain doom if it tried to hurt Zexion... probably did.

It wasn't like Zexion was even his... well, _anything_ at this point. Maybe not even a friend. With that depressing thought in his mind, he went back to his new favourite pastime – studying Zexion's face in great detail.

Zexion had really long eyelashes... and thin but kissable looking lips Demyx wanted to bite. _Argh... stupid X-class blood giving me weird urges..._


	7. Building bridges

**A/N:** And just like that we're here again with a new update! This was a little easier to write this time around, though I do think having the cast of Critical Role in my ears for a few hours helped a little strangely (if you haven't heard of it, the best description is how they introduce themselves: "A bunch of nerdy-ass voice actors play Dungeons & Dragons" (...it's kinda worrying how quickly I became invested with all the characters) Give it a watch on YouTube if you've got three to four hours to spare at a time)

In other KH-related news, everyone see the new trailer? It's kinda interesting that the mini-games are based on old LCDs, though I guess that means there's no hub world devoted to mini-games this time around (probably a good thing. I remembered feeling so annoyed that the Atlantica world was reduced to rhythm mini-games in KH2 after the developers went to the trouble of fixing the Atlantica movement mechanics... and the dreaded Ice Cream Beat of Disney Town (dreaded for me as I've got no sense of rhythm). I'm more interested in seeing that even tertiary characters like the Twilight Trio seem to be getting new costumes... I wonder if that means that even the gang in Radiant Garden are getting new looks as well! (please don't cut Leon's hair... I'm already sad that Riku got a haircut)

Anyway, thanks for reading the last chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks to anon reviewers **xxdancingstars** and **Ray** for reviewing - you're awesome :)  
Hope you guys enjoy this update! (one character here really deserves the M rating this story has... and I think I could have gone further haha...ha...haaaa...) Reviews will be appreciated!

\- love from, Rosa xx

* * *

The voices were muffled when Zexion came around again, but the world was starting to come into focus much more quickly this time around. He could see that Axel was down here now, talking quietly with Demyx who had his forehead in his hand.

"So... the Council's making demands now..." Demyx murmured.

"Sounds like it," Axel replied. "An entire vampire clan, and the Clan Prima of the city at that, getting sandwiched between Nobodies doesn't look good. The Coven and our guys had the biggest clean up in the history of ever to deal with before all the mortals could get wind." A sigh. "Course, didn't stop a few of the nosy ones from asking questions."

"Journalists?"

"Is that what we're calling them, because I thought they were vultures."

"Journalists," Demyx sighed. "This ain't good... did the Patriarch give any answers?"

"The usual bullshit. Experimental medicine gone awry, but there is nothing to worry about because the explosion was self-contained, etcetera etcetera." Zexion felt a depression in the bed. "Then of course he had to tell the Council just what the hell happened rather than wait it out until we could figure out what to do with the book. That's why the 'emergency' meeting."

"...they won't hurt him or send him away, will they?" Demyx asked cautiously.

"They don't get anything out of hurting him," Axel pointed out. "Sending away I can't promise. I'm betting that they'll consider the Fae Realm since it's far enough out of reach from the Organisation and close enough for the Council to keep an eye on him."

"The Fae Realm?! Isn't that a bit extreme?!"

Zexion at this point thought it was best to make it known that he was up. "...What's the Fae Realm?"

Demyx jolted in his seat. Axel turned to look at him. "Ah, evening princess. Sleep well?"

"You don't feel woozy or anything, do you?" Demyx asked him worriedly. Zexion just shook his head, staring at them both as he patiently waited for an answer to his earlier question. Demyx was gnawing on his lip – Zexion wondered if that was a nervous tick of his when he didn't know whether to answer a question or not.

"Go on. Answer him. He was gonna find out eventually," Axel encouraged. "Besides, faefolk is your specialist knowledge."

Demyx nodded his head. "Well... it'd take too long to explain everything about it, so the short summary is that the Fae Realm is where faefolk are from."

"And we can go to it?"

"It's a bit difficult to go there without help from faefolk," Demyx replied. He shrugged his shoulders. "Even then, you'd have to know _where_ an entrance to it is... and where an exit is."

"Which is why Demyx thinks that option is a bit extreme given how new you are to all this," Axel pointed out. "Not even the professor of faefolk here knows how to get in and out."

"I know how to get _in_ ," Demyx frowned. "And I'm not a professor." He looked at Zexion. "My point is that... won't you get lonely there? Even if you are safe? I mean I like faefolk but they're really unpredictable. They could be your best friends one day, and then see you as annoying pest the next."

Zexion didn't have to be the most perceptive to understand that Demyx clearly was against the idea. He wasn't even sure what to make of it himself... it was only a few days ago that the concept of supernatural creatures living and working besides humans was as far-fetched as any fairy tale he'd been told as a kid, let alone another world where they were from. "Well... we don't know what they plan on doing so we shouldn't jump to conclusions just yet..." He slowly sat up. "...why do I get the feeling that I'm not going to be at my place any time soon?"

"Sorry Zexion," Demyx murmured, looking down apologetically. "It's... It's just too dangerous for you."

"Though, we should be grateful that you seem to be such a recluse in your normal life," Axel commented. "It was easy for The Coven to make out like you've been in lock down mode for an article, so no one's asking questions." He then paused. "Well, your cousin's family might if Sora tells them what's happened to you."

Zexion groaned, grabbing the pillow from behind him and hiding his face in it. He couldn't see them, but he imagined the vampires' faces would be looking at him quizzically. "Zexion?" Demyx questioned.

"Uncle Lament is going to be a real pain in the ass about it if what I've heard is right..." Oh yes, he couldn't forget that little titbit about his uncle being a hunter as well.

"...hey, Zexion, I hope this isn't being nosy but... why your uncle and not your dad? Er... Ienzo?" Demyx asked.

 _Ah... I suppose they don't know..._ "...well, Sora's family raised me." Zexion shrugged. "My parents died in a car crash when I was a kid."

Demyx's eyes widened and he covered his mouth to muffle a gasp; Axel's eyebrows shot up. Again, Zexion just shrugged again. "It's fine. From what I've been told, it had been quick so my parents... didn't suffer." _Wow... that sounded heartless..._ "And my uncle and aunt did their best. It's not like I had an awful childhood after the crash."

"...is that why you're underweight?" Demyx whispered without thinking. He yelped as Axel's hand curled into a fist and bonked him on the top of his head.

"Dem, you don't just ask questions like that from the off," Axel scolded.

"It's alright. Did Sora tell you that I was underweight?" Zexion queried.

Demyx rubbed his head, glaring a bit at Axel then sighing. "No. I was carrying you and... well, since we weren't in immediate danger at the time, I realised you were a lot lighter than I had expected. I mean... even by vampire standards."

"What the bubblebrain is trying to say is that he's worried that you're going to faint every time you start offering blood like you're a vending machine," Axel explained nonchalantly. "To be honest, I have to agree."

"I'm not-" Zexion tried to protest.

"Two feedings in two nights," Axel cut across him. "You're lucky Leon's got some crazy self control when it comes to feeding from humans and that he needed only a little to get him boosted. Not even a normal O-class or AB-class can handle that." Axel's long finger then poked Zexion in the forehead once he got a clear view of it. "So an underweight X-class managing to do it is something pretty special."

"...well don't I feel lucky," Zexion replied with biting sarcasm. "I'm an underweight X-class blooded human that has a grimoire attached to me that may or may not try to kill me at any point. Yes. I feel _incredibly_ lucky. I feel like a main character from bad vampire fanfiction. I only need a pretty boy vampire trying to cop a feel every so often." He didn't notice Demyx's expression go blank at his statement.

"Well, at least you've still got some fire in you," Axel chuckled. "...what's a fanfiction?"

"Seriously Axel? Aren't you like obsessed with the internet?" Demyx blinked.

"Only memes," Axel shrugged. "I sorta ignore some of the weirder fan stuff that turns up on my 'stumblr' account. Something about … 'Destiels' and 'Drarrys'? There's also a lot of weird things about ships..."

"Wait... wait... back up a minute here," Zexion said, taking the pillow away from his face. "Are you saying... _you've_ got a 'stumblr' account?"

"And a 'playr' account," Axel declared proudly. Demyx gave him a horrified look. "What? It makes it easier to find willing donors that I find attractive."

"You are a terrible dhampir Axel," Demyx said in dismay. "I'm surprised you haven't been banned from other dating apps."

"You can't report someone who you think gave you the best sex you'd ever had if its obvious from the outset that you only want a one time thing," Axel retorted, not at all looking ashamed of himself.

"I swear one day you're going to meet someone who will play you at your own game."

"Yeah, not gonna happen." Axel tapped his chest. "Already had the tragic love story. Not something I want to repeat again." He then looked over to Zexion. "Though if Zexion's still looking for the 'pretty boy vampire who cops a feel' for his storybook life..."

"I will stake you through the heart if you try it," Zexion warned.

"Good luck with that," Axel replied in a sing song voice. "But my internet habits are not a high priority for us right now, wouldn't you say?" Axel stood up slowly. "We'll need to bring Zexion to Radiant Garden Castle before night falls. If the Organisation is already proving to try desperate action against us, then there's no telling what they might try if we try to move at night."

"...and Leon?" Zexion asked. It hadn't failed his notice that the Noblesse wasn't here.

"He'll be there too. You're his responsibility."

"Where is he now?"

"Resting up. He should be up and about soon enough, provided that his Esper Marks are fully recharged," Axel replied. The vampire must have seen Zexion's eyebrow quirk at the mention of Espers. "Oh yes... well, I gather Demyx has told you a little about Espers and how Leon's met two of them. Well, they liked him enough to leave their Marks on him. He draws on their power to enhance his own."

"...have you seen them?"

"No," Axel answered. "You're lucky if they even deign to grace you with their presence, let alone a look at them. His Esper pals don't think me and Dem are worthy to see them."

"But it's pretty cool to see their powers at work," Demyx inserted. "Not many humans get the chance to see that."

"Except for the ones with powers, right?" Zexion pointed out. Demyx gave him a sloping, wry smile.

"Yeah." The vampire scratched the back of his sandy blond head, glancing over to Axel before settling his gaze back to Zexion. "So... do you think you can walk? We've been told to travel as unsuspiciously as possible."

"Meaning...?"

"No fancy car like the Patriarch and Leon are gonna drive in later," Axel explained. "Just good old fashioned hoofing it on foot, with a side order of underground."

"Wait... we're going now?" Zexion blinked. He looked at the clock on the wall. It proudly declared it to be half past four in the afternoon. "But the castle is shutting down to visitors in thirty minutes."

"Not to us it isn't," Axel chuckled. "Seriously Zexion... more than thirty-six hours in and you're still not suspending disbelief?"

* * *

They made an odd trio, with Zexion in the middle, clutching his messenger bag that had the _Book of Retribution_ tucked neatly inside, still in yesterday's outfit and wondering if maybe he should have asked to have his clothes cleaned beforehand. Demyx was on his right, his brightly coloured skater outfit standing out against a sea of suits, white coats and black attire. Axel was on his left, blending in a little more but still looking every inch the rocker. Not exactly the type of people a bookish person like himself would normally consort with. Not even Leon who looked like a biker with his leathers.

"Ah, we better make a quick detour to Cid's workshop," Axel suddenly said after what felt like an increasingly awkward silence between the trio. "He's got new toys for us in case the trip goes tits up."

"We're being allowed weapons in broad daylight?" Demyx queried.

"Patriarch insisted that this was an -and I quote- 'an exceptional circumstance'," Axel explained, steering them down a new hallway. Zexion noticed that there were more white coats down this hall, but there were also people in grubby grey boiler-suits as well.

"Who's Cid?" Zexion asked them.

"Ah, he's basically the head of R&D here," Demyx answered. "He prefers developing vehicles, but his major thing is the arsenal."

"If it wasn't for Cid, we'd be sitting ducks when the laws changed about having weapons," Axel offered. "Man... how long ago was it that you couldn't have weapons on show again?"

"Roughly a hundred... a hundred and fifty-ish years?" Demyx replied. "I dunno... I wasn't really paying attention to politics back then."

Zexion blinked. He almost forgot that these two had been witnesses to some dramatic changes in society over the years. It was still hard to believe that Demyx was 219 and Axel was 268. Demyx then asked, "So what about these 'new toys'?"

"Better concealment. Cid's been working on a way to make my chakrams less conspicuous for years." Axel then sighed. "I hope to whatever god is listening that I'm not back to those frisbees again... that was mortifying for my bad boy image."

"But didn't you have...?" Zexion started, trying to think back to the night he'd been thrust into this world and vaguely recalling that Axel was wielding something that night.

"Ah... yeah... I might have smuggled those out by pretending I was a street entertainer and putting them on fire to prove that they were just props..."

"Axel!" Demyx exclaimed. "Did Leon know?!"

"...I might have gotten a lecture about recklessness while the pair of you were out cold," Axel answered non-committally. He then reached for a door, pushing it open. "Yo! Cid! You wanted us?"

"TOOK YOU DAMN LONG ENOUGH!" a voice bellowed from deep within this new lab they were stepping into, a huge amount of machinery whining and grinding in the background. "HANG ON!" The screeching sounds stopped and from around the corner of a large, hulking machine came out a grubby looking man with a shock of ageing blond hair. The man's skin looked hard as leather, a cigarette firmly set in between harsh, thin lips. Goggles and a green bandana kept the man's hair out of his eyes, and his worker boots nearly slammed into the floor as he moved. Zexion slightly cowered behind Demyx; this 'Cid' didn't look the type to take shit from anyone. "'Bout time you fucking appeared. How long did you intend to keep me fucking waiting?"

"Language," Axel droned. "We have a guest."

A pair of piercing blue eyes finally caught sight of Zexion. The gruff man appraised him quickly, then shrugged and said to Axel, "Not my fucking problem." He then sauntered over to a bench. "Anyways, the Boss told me to give your weapons priority since you need to be able to get the hell outta whatever trouble you might get into." Axel and Demyx followed after him; Zexion trotted at their heels. "I swear Axel, could you not use a fucking normal weapon? It's fucking hard to come up with an idea to hide chakrams from mortal sight." He leant down under his bench. Zexion could hear metallic clinking as the man rummaged through something. "By the way, heard about how you smuggled your chakrams out from Yuffie. Fuck me Axel that was something only you could do and get away with."

"I live to please," Axel replied, rolling his eyes a bit. "I'm just glad that the cops bought it."

"Probably helps that you dress like some renegade," Cid shot back smartly. He then pulled out what looked like a large triangular case. "Gave me a bit of an idea. Try it out."

Axel raised an eyebrow... then reached over for the black case, pulling the zip. Inside was what looked like a metal pole with a scythe-like curved blade. Axel gave Cid a quizzical look. "And this is...?"

"Give it a flick." Cid looked over to Zexion and Demyx. "You might want to step back boys." The pair did. They stepped as far away as possible. Axel took a deep breath as he picked it up by the pole than gave a sharp flick. He yelped in delight as the strange looking metal piece suddenly turned into a huge, bladed wheel, the pole sliding down and clicking into place.

"Nice," Axel grinned. He then pouted. "No points?"

"Had to go back to the traditional shape of a chakram to make it work," Cid explained. "But it won't be noticed. If it does, you can show off its party trick to prove that its just a fire juggler's prop. Set the edge of fire."

Axel reached into his pocket for his lighter, flicking it to ignite and then bringing the flame to the edge. The chakram's edge burst into a circle of flickering, orange flame. The grin on Axel's face was manic. "Cid you beautiful genius! I could kiss you!"

"Fucking don't," Cid warned. "There's a button where your thumb is that retracts it all back. The fire will extinguish when you do it." Axel did just that, his face still grinning wildly as if he could see all the mischief he could cause with his new toy. "Don't go doing something stupid with it. Demyx, you're up."

Demyx seemed a little hesitant, but he approached the bench; Cid was once again bent down rummaging before he carefully placed down what looked like a guitar. Demyx blinked. "...a guitar?"

"I know what you're thinking. 'How the fuck is this going to help me?' Right?" Cid crossed his arms. "Pick it up."

Demyx did. Zexion subconsciously moved forward. "So it does feel a little heavier..."

"Should do. That things a hammer in a pinch."

"Eh?!"

"I'm joking," Cid sighed. "Look at the fret board. Notice anything unusual?"

"Er... not immediately...?"

Zexion peeked around at this point... and he saw that parts of the frets were made of a blue crystalline material. "The frets aren't metal?" Zexion offered.

"Smart kid," Cid grinned. "You could learn something from him Demyx." Demyx's face went a little pink, but he looked over to Zexion with a hidden grateful look. "Those frets are made from Water Materia. I noticed that you struggle to find a source for your powers so hopefully having it come from Water Materia frets should help."

"Hopefully?"

"I need you to test it." Cid leaned against his bench. "Play around with it for a minute. Don't worry about the mess; that's what the grease monkeys out in the other labs are for."

"Okay..." Demyx answered hesitantly. He took a moment to relax with the guitar and then played a few notes, his fingers pressing against the frets from time to time. Zexion held back a gasp as strands of water appeared from the fret board and a small, watery figure was created on the bench, dancing about with careless abandon. He looked over to Demyx... and saw the the sandy blond was grinning. "This is so cool Cid!"

"Took me a while to develop this since musical instruments aren't my forte, but I know a guy who knows a guy that owns a guitar store. I sorta went on a theory from there." Cid shrugged. "Sound works differently in water, so I wondered if you could use sound to activate Water Materia on the go. Looks like I was right. Though, it'll still need to be tested." Cid took out his cigarette and stubbed it against his metal workbench. "Yours is the first prototype."

"Check it out Bubblebrain. You've inspired a new type of weaponry," Axel laughed. "Guess we'll be having vampire bands duking it out with Nobodies in a year or so." There was a splash as Axel threw his arm over Demyx, breaking the vampire's concentration. There was now a small puddle in the middle of Cid's desk.

"Guess so," Demyx offered meekly. "But what if I need a large amount of water?"

"Should work in conjecture with larger sources of water; the guitar is really there to help you out in a pinch, but if you figure out other ways to use it, let me know," Cid explained. He then pulled out what looked like a pair of holsters and a guitar case from under his bench. There was a second collapsible chakram in one of the holsters. "Holsters for the pyromaniac's chakrams, and the case is for your guitar Demyx. Both of you will probably pass off for street performers that way." He then looked between them. "Don't fuck it up. I don't wanna hear you two shitheads were causing trouble with these."

"Cid, I'm hurt!" Axel bemoaned, mocking his hurt by clenching a fist over his chest. Unfortunately, his eyes were grinning which ruined the sincerity of the action. The redhead was soon taking the holsters, attaching them around his waist and making sure his long jacket was over them. He slotted the chakram he'd been playing around with into the empty holster before patting them to make sure they were secure. Demyx gingerly opened the guitar case as if expecting another surprise, frowned in disappointment when he realised there was nothing special about it, and then placed the guitar inside, securing it and then zipping the case up. "Hopefully we won't have to worry too much about being attacked."

"Don't go fucking jinx yourselves now," Cid warned; Demyx slung the case over his shoulder, one hand gripping the strap tightly. Cid's eyes then went over to Zexion. "If these two shitheads do something stupid, whack them on the head for me."

"Su... Sure," Zexion stammered.

* * *

They were using the Asura Line to get to Courtyard Station, after a short walk through the Postern area to get to the station. Zexion was starting to get used to seeing all manner of creatures now, barely flinching as he heard a gruff hissing voice that came out of a cat whose tail had been stepped on. What he wasn't getting used to was how clingy Demyx was while they were on the train. Despite his best protests, the blond was refusing to budge on the matter, keeping an arm firmly clamped around Zexion's middle while glaring from under his hood at anyone that even looked at them funny. Zexion gathered it was other vampires Demyx was silently telling to back off.

"...I really am going to be okay," Zexion weakly protested. "It's not like they're going to charm the pants off of me."

"Yeah, not a chance," Demyx replied. "A lot of these guys are Subalternos. They're opportunists of the highest degree. The fact that there are two Cavalieres close by and you've got a Noblesse's scent on you as well is the only thing stopping them from trying their luck." Demyx then paused. "...I gotta ask... how on earth did you go through life not getting attacked?"

"Beats me..." He had a thought though. _I'd have to ask Uncle Lament if he knows something about this..._ "...could you let me go already?"

"No."

"Demyx..."

"No."

He could hear Axel cackling in the background. Zexion just gave him a deadpan stare. "Glad this all so very amusing to you..."

"If I had known you two would be just pure entertainment watching, I'd have told Demyx to introduce himself in that book shop sooner."

" _Now arriving at … Courtyard Station. Change here for the Gaia, Cocoon and Pulse Lines. Exit here for Radiant Garden Castle and Museum, and the Garden Bridge_ ," the loudspeaker announced.

"That's our stop," Axel sighed, getting up from his seat. Zexion felt Demyx's arm move away from his middle, but his hand was now being firmly gripped as the trio stepped off the train. "Stick close. We're gonna have to cross the bridge."

"Garden Bridge..." Zexion murmured. Wasn't that where Marluxia worked these days?

"Something the matter Zexion?" Demyx asked.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just a thought." Zexion looked down at the hands that were held fast together... on one side mostly. "Demyx... you really don't have to be so over protective..."

"No can do."

* * *

Okay, maybe he didn't have to be as overly protective as he was being, Demyx had to concede to that... but he couldn't help it! Being able to hold Zexion's hand was the best thing in the world right now, and he was loathe to let go. So, being over protective about Zexion was the best excuse to keep on holding that tiny, delicate hand. He did however notice the look in Axel's green eyes as he glanced over his sunglasses at them; he silently begged Axel to not tease them. To this Axel replied with a non-committal shrug before leading them out of the station.

Garden Bridge has changed a lot over the years. Demyx remembered it being just a brick and mortar bridge that had stalls all along it and a heavy flow of traffic, people, animals and carts jostling for position. Now, after the old bridge had collapsed from centuries of wear, tear and lack of maintenance, this new iron, steel and stone bridge reincarnation from fifty years ago stood in the old bridge's place. Demyx had a clear memory of coming to its opening ceremony; the city had decided to do something new and innovative for the time by turning the bridge into a public green space. So now it was covered with flowerbeds and bushes, benches and seating areas dotted about offering views of the cityscape and the river. It wasn't so crowded these days... and Demyx was glad for that. He preferred this version of Garden Bridge to the other one he had grown up with. Especially since it was home to a variety of plant-based faefolk now.

He looked over to Zexion, unable to hold back a smile as the human looked around in wonder. He might have crossed this bridge a thousand times, never noticing all the faefolk that had made their home here until now after he'd been made aware. "Pretty cool, huh?" Demyx whispered into his ear, leaning down to reach it. _God I can hear his blood..._

"Very," Zexion replied, stepping around a little as he avoided walking into a waddling spriggan. "I never knew there was such... variety here."

"If you think the Garden Bridge is cool, wait until you see Grand Avenue Park!" He really wanted to talk about every kind of faefolk one could find there, but he reminded himself there was time for that later. _Well... maybe Zexion wouldn't oppose to it if I worded it carefully..._ "You know... if you'd like... we could go over there when-"

"Oh! Zexion!" A new voice cut across Demyx; it was one of those soft, lilting voices that might soothe a person's anxieties... but it got Demyx's nerves up. When he turned to see who the new voice belonged to, his annoyance only increased. _Where the hell did this pretty boy come from?!_

"Marluxia? You're working this late?" Zexion asked, sounding bemused.

This 'Marluxia' guy was a bit taller than Demyx... maybe just about the same height as Axel. Despite the fact that his work overalls were covered in dirt, the man had a grace that Demyx was just hating already given his own propensity to be clumsy. In fact, this man, even with his pink shoulder length hair, looked like a picture-book Prince Charming.

Yet something about this guy was bothering him... and he just couldn't put a finger on it.

"Oh I volunteered to cover someone's shift in return for them doing an earlier one for me," Marluxia explained. "I don't really mind." He then looked over to Demyx; the blond tried not to stiffen or look awkward but it wasn't really working. "And who's this? Your boyfriend?"

"He's-"

"Yes I'm his boyfriend!" Demyx interjected quickly, without really thinking. He daren't look at Zexion... but he could see Axel had turned around to see what the hold up was just at that moment, and the shit-eating grin he had on his face. _Well shit..._ He better run with this. "Uh... I mean... we just started dating..."

"Ohhhhh I see! That explains a little why I hadn't heard from you Zexion!" Although Marluxia's blue eyes had widened in surprise, Demyx couldn't help but feel there was something... dead about the expression within them. "I was worried about you... I thought you'd shut yourself up again for a deadline."

"Well... I did but um... yeah... Demyx dragged me out..." Zexion was stumbling over his words; Demyx was glad that he seemed to be going along with this story, but he had a feeling he was in for it later. "Which is probably a good thing knowing me..."

"A very good thing," Marluxia agreed, that smile not leaving his face. Demyx felt his skin crawl. "Well then, since my concerns aren't founded, maybe you wouldn't mind me visiting you at some point."

"Oh um..." Zexion looked like he was racking his brains for an answer. "Ah, well that might be difficult since I'm moving out of my apartment. I got a new one."

Demyx watched as two perfectly plucked eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You're moving? This is the first I heard of it."

"Oh I didn't want to make a big deal of it," Zexion lied smoothly.

"Huh... do you need help moving?" Marluxia asked.

"No no, don't bother. I've got a good moving team on that." Demyx was trying hard not to show how impressed he was with Zexion's little white lies. Well... big white lies. "Anyway, it's good seeing you Marluxia, but me and Demyx really have to get going."

"Ah well don't let me keep you from your date," Marluxia replied. He then walked over to Demyx and held out a hand. "Hopefully we'll be meeting again." Demyx didn't need to be a genius to hear the malice dripping like sweet poison from Marluxia's glossed lips. However, not wanting to cause a scene or give Zexion something to worry about, he took Marluxia's hand, trying to keep an even stare.

Though he swore he saw something flash in those deep blue eyes. "Yes... hopefully," Demyx replied. He then pulled his hand away, pulling Zexion a little closer to him.

"See you later Zexy," Marluxia smile brightly. "Let me know when you're ready to receive guests at your new place."

As Marluxia passed, Demyx's nose caught scent of a rather heady combination of rose, vanilla and cinnamon. It almost made him want to gag at how sickly sweet it smelt... and he liked sweet things! He looked down to Zexion, who was giving him a hard look while waiting for Marluxia to be out of earshot. "...boyfriends?"

"Well... it's kinda hard to explain that actually I'm a _you-know-what_ that was forced into your life by _that-other-thing-you-know-about_." Axel was now starting to approach them, that grin still plastered on his face.

"So... boyfriends now, eh?"

"Shut up Axel," Demyx moaned.

"Oh no, seriously, when did that happen? And when's the wedding?"

"Shut up Axel!" Zexion snapped.

"Should I tell Leon? I mean, he probably ought to know that his sweet little childe is getting married! I don't think you should deny him his right as a maker to interrogate the-"

"SHUT UP AXEL!" both of them yelled in unison, causing a few people and faefolk to look at them curiously. Axel held his hands up in mock-surrender, but that aggravating grin was still there.

"Geez, you're both so sensitive..." He then slid his hands back into his trouser pockets. "Well, that was an entertaining interlude. Shall we get going?"

Demyx glowered at Axel, making a note to himself to swing the new guitar at his stupid dhampir face later. He felt his arm being pulled; Zexion was trying to just get moving, his face firmly at the floor and refusing to look at him. _Damn it... I fucked that up._ He allowed the shorter human to pull him along, sighing as he felt the defeat settle onto his shoulders. _Urgh... why did I say I was his boyfriend... Demyx you dumb-dumb!_

* * *

Radiant Garden Castle was the the midst of shutting up for the evening, security ushering people out calmly despite repeated warnings to overly enthusiastic tourists taking photos at every given opportunity. Zexion couldn't blame them. The castle was an incredible homage to the history of the city and its architecture over the many years it had stood. The only original architecture left of the castle when it was first built was its ancient chapel that had pride of place in the last remaining stone tower, with centuries of architectural history being added on or replacing original features over time. In some respects, Zexion when he was a kid used to think it looked a lot like a castle that would hide some sort of hideous beast or monster given its mashed appearance... but in others it looked like the sort of castle that would feature in a fairy tale.

And he was going to go inside after hours? He was still finding that hard to believe, but he could imagine how annoyed a lot of the visitors would be to see the three of them sauntering inside like they owned the place. He looked over to the vampires; Axel seemed more interested in his nails while Demyx was sitting on top of a wall cross-legged, his guitar case lying just behind him. "Shouldn't we be going in?" Zexion asked them.

"Nah, we gotta wait for the normies to go," Axel replied, pushing up his sunglasses to peer over to the gate. "Once they go, we then have to go around the back and prove we have permission to enter after hours."

"And how are you going to do that?" Zexion dared to ask.

"Drop a name." Zexion blinked at that answer from Axel. "And maybe even show a book." Zexion didn't fail to miss the pointed look Axel was giving to his messenger bag. He found himself having a hand pressed firmly against it as if to protect it. "Don't freak out. It's not like we could take it from you anyway."

"Axel," Demyx said in a low voice. "Don't try to scare him."

"I'm not. I'm just stating the obvious." Axel then glanced over. "Oh? Looks like they're shutting up."

Zexion followed Axel's line of sight; sure enough, the guard was locking the front gates now that the last visitor had left the premises. It wouldn't be long until those security guards swapped shifts with the night guards. Axel placed his sunglasses down and pushed himself away from the wall he'd been leaning against. Demyx dropped down from it, guitar case sliding back onto his shoulder. "We better get going. No doubt the Council will start appearing in the next hour."

"Wait... the Council meets here?"

"Have done for years since the Final Revolution," Axel explained. "Most Council members had a position that had something to do with the castle, meaning that they could manipulate the normies into not thinking much if there were people going into it at odd times of the night." He then chuckled. "Well... that, and then there's also the fact that _he_ owns it."

"Who?"

"You'll see," Axel said dismissively. He then tilted his head to urge the other two to follow. Demyx still stuck close to Zexion, but thankfully didn't resort to hand holding. He was still mortified about that conversation they had with Marluxia on the bridge.

Axel lead them down along the side of the fence around the castle, casually sauntering until he stopped at another gate that had a guard waiting in a security booth. The man lifted his gaze after a few moments, raising a bushy eyebrow at the overly familiar way Axel was leaning against the booth. "...can I help you?"

"We came here to see Belle de Villeneuve."

"Ms. de Villeneuve is very busy tonight, so unless you have an appointment-"

"We're from DiZ Corp," Axel interjected. The man's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Axel smirked crookedly. "And you know, I'd _hate_ to be the one that caused a delay in Ms. de Villeneuve's evening appointments, especially if she _might_ have another engagement with the castle's owner."

The man was hesitating... and then he growled in annoyance. Zexion nearly paled when he saw the dentistry. They were not the fangs of vampires that he was starting to grow a little accustomed to. No, these had terrifyingly long canines and sharp jagged teeth behind them made for tearing flesh apart. "Temper temper," Axel chided. "Wouldn't do to start baring your teeth in broad daylight now would it?"

"...just get the fuck in," the man growled, pressing a button that cased the gate's mechanised lock to snap open.

"Good doggy~" Axel beamed. There was a barely audible "fucking bloodsucker" from the man as they walked through, the gate slamming shut behind them.

"Do you have to antagonise every werewolf you come across?" Demyx sighed.

 _That was a werewolf?!_ Zexion looked behind him; the security guard had gone back to reading his paper, but it was clear how riled up he was. "It's too fun not to brush their fur up the wrong way," Axel laughed. "Especially the ones with short tempers."

"How you haven't gotten yourself killed so far, I will never know," Demyx deadpanned. They all stopped at another door; this side-door would lead into the castle proper. The vampire and the dhampir looked at Zexion. "Well... you ready for this?" Demyx asked him.

"...as ever as I will be I guess," Zexion replied, crossing his arms across his chest as if to protect himself. _Why does it feel like I'm going to a trial..._ He took his first tentative step inside as Axel opened the door for him.


	8. The Warded Room

**A/N:** Hey everyone! How's it going?

It took me a while to write this chapter compared to the last one, though I think that's probably because I rediscovered that writing long official gathering scenes is **_hard_**. Especially if there's like more than five people in the room. Though then again, I've been forcing myself to write the next chapter of **_Whispers_** as well after the emotional roller coaster it's just been through (seriously, I know I do slow burners, but GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD its such a slow burn over there).

So it pretty much seems confirmed that Larxene is coming back for KH3, which does beg the question... Luxord and Demyx too? I mean, I can totally see the possibility of Luxord being one of Xehanort's vessels, but a small part of me really _really_ is hoping that Demyx is left alone and we see his Somebody instead (that might be wishful thinking though... on the other hand, would you say that canonically he's seen as a bit of a slacker? That might work against him becoming a vessel... maybe?)

So I guess that's everything for now. Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing this! (Especially **Ray** who was the sole anonymous reviewer this time around!) I hope you guys are enjoying where this is going and continue to read this! Thank you!

-love from, Rosa xx

* * *

If it weren't for the fact that Zexion felt like they were going to some sort of tribunal, he might have enjoyed the behind the scenes tour he was getting as they walked down corridors that seemed to be storing artefacts that couldn't be shown in the museum for any number of reasons. He might have even have peeked into a room that had the word ' **BOOKS AND ANCIENT TEXTS** ' embossed on the door's sign. But he just couldn't get over how creepy it was to be walking around a castle and museum after closing time... and the fact that said castle and museum after closing time turned into some sort of headquarters for a thus far shadowy authority figure for the supernatural citizens of the city. He jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Don't be nervous," Demyx whispered, trying to be comforting. "When you meet Belle, I'm sure she'll see your side."

"This Belle de Villeneuve... is she part of the Council?"

"Yeah," Demyx answered. "She's a witch from The Coven."

"A witch...?"

"A bit different to sorcerers," Axel answered. "They have rules and laws that they have to stick to no matter what, but the biggest difference is that they aren't supposed to hurt people." He then looked over his shoulder. "The Coven is probably going to have an invested interest in you as a newly awakened sorcerer. Just mind your p's and q's around Belle."

"Axel's trying to say she's your 'in' to get into the Council's good books," Demyx elaborated. "Though... I think it won't be difficult for you."

"What do you mean by that?" Zexion asked.

"Well... you'll see."

They finally reached a door after clambering up some stairs, Axel pushing it open and stepping through. Zexion's jaw dropped.

He's only been in Radiant Garden Castle's library a few times, having to pay to look at rare, antiquated books that he didn't have permission to touch let alone read. So it came as a very pleasant surprise when they stepped into its lofty hall, the comforting smell of ancient leather and yellowing pages assailing his nostrils. "Alright... I think I can see perks to all this now."

"Seriously, you're about to become a sorcerer and you're thinking that you can read the books here?" Axel asked in a deadpan voice.

"I don't think that's a bad thing to like about all this," Demyx said. "I mean... find a positive, no matter how small, right?"

Zexion didn't even stick around to hear Axel's response, going immediately to shelves that were dedicated to the history of the castle. His fingers reached out to touch along the spines, for a moment dithering on whether or not to take a book out to just skim its contents. He knew he shouldn't... but the temptation was proving a little much. _Just a peek..._

"Please be careful with those books," a clear voice called out to him; he recoiled from the books, turning to see where the voice had come from.

"Ms. de Villenueve!" Demyx exclaimed. He and Axel had joined him at this point, just as a brunette in a light blue skirt suit approached him. She smiled brightly at Demyx.

"Good to see you again, Demyx, Axel," she greeted. She then turned her warm russet gaze over to Zexion. "And you must be Zexion. Lord Ansem told me all about you." She gave him a conciliatory smile. "I apologise for all the confusion you must be going through. I hope these two and Lord Squall have been teaching you as much as they can."

"Only at his pace," Axel replied. "Can't overwhelm the poor kid after all."

She chuckled softly. "Probably the best way to do it. There is a lot to take in when it comes to our existence." She held a hand out to Zexion. "My name is Belle de Villeneuve. I'm the representative of witchkind in the Council as well as the head curator of the castle and museum."

"Uh... Zexion Driscoll. Um... freelancer... normally..." he stammered, taking her hand loosely.

"It's good to meet you." Belle then looked over to his two guardians. "It might be a while until the rest of the Council and involved parties arrives. It might be an idea to wait in the Warded Room rather than hang around in the castle."

"You're worried that Nobodies might be attracted to the castle?" Axel asked.

"As much as I trust the powers and abilities of my sisters in The Coven to do a tidy-up if something does come, I'd rather avoid the collection getting damaged if possible." She pushed a lock of light brown hair behind her ear. "He's... in one of his moods."

"...full moon?" Axel hazarded.

"How did you guess," Belle sighed. "As much as I love that man, sometimes I really hate the fact that his lycanthropy can change his personality completely."

"It's what you get for marrying a werewolf," Axel replied.

"Marrying a werewolf?" Zexion asked Demyx quietly. Demyx shook his head; it wasn't his place to answer that question.

"Correction: he's a werebeast."

"Werebeast, werewolf, same thing," Axel said dismissively. "The only difference is the animal they change into."

"Um... does Axel have a problem with werewolves?" Zexion queried. Axel and Belle had since started to move away, him and Demyx following at a distance.

"Well... I don't personally but... from what I've been told, vampires and werewolves generally never get along with each other. Whole wars have been fought between them." Demyx then scratched his head. "Then I suppose if you include the fact that in some other cities you get territory wars between the two species... yeah... I suppose Axel's within right to not be fond of werewolves..." He then looked at Zexion. "Though to be honest, I think Axel's just being his normal all-around dick self about it."

"Isn't it... xenophobic though?"

"Hmm... I guess. But the few times that Axel's worked with werewolves before, he's always managed to stop being a dick about it." Demyx frowned. "...I dunno. Even though we're blood brothers, there is still a lot I don't know about him."

Zexion could only nod his head, watching as the witch and the dhampir continued their 'debate'. "...can I ask you something?"

"Anything," Demyx replied without hesitation, then jolted and scratched his head again. "Uhh... I mean... anything within reason."

 _Guess that means that I can't get an answer for everything from this one..._ "You guys have mentioned 'blood brothers' a few times now... what does that mean?"

"Ah... oh I guess we have..." Demyx's mouth pursed, moving about his lower jaw as he tried to formulate a way to explain it. "Well... its kinda like...oh! You know those gangster movies?"

"...Yes...?" Zexion wasn't sure he liked where this was going.

"Yeah! More specifically the yakuza movies? And like the main gang member character always has someone following him around who calls him brother? It's kinda like that!"

"...uh...ok..."

"Mmhm! So we basically had our bloods mixed so to create a bond that can't be broken." He looked so pleased with himself with that explanation, Zexion almost felt guilty that he felt like it hadn't actually answered his question. "That... and it helps with figuring out if we're in trouble."

"Wait... what?"

"Scents and hearing. Sharing blood for reasons I can't explain means that we're able to sense each other faster than most." Demyx shrugged. "It's how Leon found us when me and Axel were in trouble when we came to your place."

"He could hear you were in trouble?!"

"Well, he knew to come over anyway... he just sped up when he heard there was trouble."

"...you sure you aren't making that up? I know you guys have better hearing and smell than I do but... seriously?"

"We could do the same, if you'd like, just to prove it?" Demyx retorted. Zexion gave him a flat look, which caused the vampire to jolt a little and look away bashfully. "Err... I mean... only if you want to."

"As much as I appreciate the sentiment, I get the feeling that it only really works with vampires," Zexion pointed out.

"Well... I..." Demyx sighed. "I guess you're right..."

He supposed he ought to feel flattered that Demyx was being this friendly to him... but he did wonder how much of it was because the vampire had to be if Leon had told Demyx to protect him. Zexion pushed the thought out of his head, looking around as they left the library and went into the museum's main chamber. Axel and Ms. de Villeneuve were waiting for them by the grand staircase that lead on to other parts of the castle.

"We'll be entering the Warded Room shortly," she explained. "Once we're in there, we'll be completely untraceable, but we won't be able to leave until the room's creator allows us to leave."

"So we're going to be trapped in there?" Zexion questioned.

"For a short while, we will be, but it's safer in the long run." She reached her hand out, fingers making delicate, swift gestures as she spoke. Zexion watched as some sort of sigil appeared on the stairs. "The Warded Room was created so that the Council had a safe place to meet without fear of attack or discovery... and it has been used in the past to hide away persons or items of interest should the need arise." The sigil started glowing even more brightly as Belle swiped her entire hand to her right. "Right now, given how desperate our enemies are becoming, this is probably one of the few safe places left for you to hide."

"Hopefully it won't be too long," Axel sighed as he started sauntering over to the sigil. "I don't do well being locked up."

"You don't do well standing still, period," Demyx pointed out, putting a hand around Zexion's middle and encouraging him to follow Axel. Zexion still didn't get Demyx's touchy-feely approach to moving him around, but by this point he was starting to just go along with it. He gripped his messenger bag tightly... it was comforting feeling the large grimoire was still in there, a feeling that was also unnerving given how it had taken him over twice now. He looked up just as Axel disappeared, causing him to jolt in alarm. "Don't worry, he's not hurt," Demyx assured him. "Let's go in."

"Wait! Demyx! Don't pu-!" His voice was cut off as Demyx pushed them along into the sigil and a searing white light enveloped his sight.

* * *

He wouldn't like to say he was twitchy... but Leon definitely was noticing that he couldn't stop his fingers from drumming against his arm, his eyes fixed on the darkening world as the limousine passed through. If he had it his own way, he would have gone with the other three to the castle, but Aerith had insisted for him to take it easy. Idly, he pushed up the cuff of his jacket, seeing that Shiva's Mark was only now starting to go back to its normal silver-blue gradient. _Sorry for using so much_ , he thought quietly. The markings gradually went cold before subsiding; Shiva's way of letting him know that she was alright. He felt a jolt on his other arm, causing him to smile quietly to himself; Quezacotl was letting him know it was fine too.

"Squall."

He turned his head to his grandfather, raising an eyebrow. He had a bit of a lecture from the Patriarch about being reckless (something that Axel no doubt would have enjoyed watching), to which Leon had rather dryly rebuked that his so-called recklessness was a 'calculated risk' that had paid off. To which the Patriarch had been none too pleased by, needless to say. "What is it?"

"That boy... I hear that you drank from him during the battle."

"...I needed a boost and he offered it. Given the circumstances, I wasn't going to say no." Leon turned his head away. "He's not going to be my personal donor. He has other things to worry about."

"You'll eventually have to make a point about it to the Subalternos and any of those among the ranks who try to overreach their rank," the Patriarch pointed out.

"Axel and Demyx are more than adequate enough to protect Zexion," Leon retorted. He then looked at him. "They were your pet projects at one point after all." The Patriarch had no answer to that statement. "Furthermore, we don't know what the Council will decide on the matter. I would be surprised if the Council allowed us to shelter him given the high amount of risk to the populace of this city alone."

"The Book of Retribution is our responsibility."

"Our responsibility is the city's protection!" Leon's whole body nearly shot out of his seat at his exclamation. "If the Council decides that its too dangerous for the grimoire to be here in the city, then I'll make sure its in a place no one can find it, even if that means placing my trust with the fae folk. But our responsibility first and foremost as the Clan Prima of Radiant Garden is to the city and the people and creatures who live here." Leon forced himself to take a breath. "...you've been alive for over half a millennium, and yet I always get the feeling that you forget that was the entire reason Clan Griever fought its way up to becoming this city's Clan Prima."

"How can you not see that regardless of where it goes, the Book of Retribution is our foremost concern? It's very existence threatens the lives you're so desperate to protect," the Patriarch rebuked. Leon frowned heavily at that, but didn't respond. "Don't forget, humans are their own worst enemies... it was human greed that created the Thirteen Grimoires in the first place."

"...but is it going to be supernatural reticence that brings about the apocalypse," Leon muttered under his breath. Maybe he was just being pessimistic... but he didn't agree with his grandfather's long belief that humans and the supernatural should remain as separate as reasonably possible. Then again, there were many things that his grandfather believed that Leon didn't. "...even if the grimoire is our responsibility, the Council might decide to relieve us of it. I wouldn't stop them if they did if it meant Zexion was in a safer environment." He looked at the Patriarch. "...we're asking a human who's only just been made aware nearly three days ago to accept a lot of obligations with very little information. You weren't even asking him to become a sorcerer. You were _ordering_ him to."

"And what would you have done if you were in my place?" the Patriarch asked him, sounding like the reprimanding parental figure that Leon had grown up with. "We don't have the luxury of time, Squall. Not when we have madmen trying to bring those grimoires together again. Please keep that in mind before you go off on one of your idealistic rants."

 _Idealistic rants, he says_ , Shiva whispered into his mind. _Old fart is acting like the relic he is per usual._

 _Just because he can't hear you doesn't mean you get a license to be rude_ , Leon chided her.

 _Ehhhh you're no fun sometimes Leon. Previous contractors used to let me cause a shiver up the spine of people who-_

 _Shiva, I'm warning you._ Leon shut down the conversation, knowing that would only serve to annoy the ice Esper. He knew how to get her 'forgiveness' though so he wasn't that worried about whether he'd be able to rely on her at a later point. "...whatever happens at this meeting... Zexion's safety in the otherworld will always take priority for me. If they try to force a separation from the grimoire, I'm going to be against it."

"Duly noted, Squall."

* * *

"-sh me in!" Zexion stumbled a little, his eyes adjusting to the brightness of the new area they were in.

It was a large, white and black room with an incredibly high ceiling, so high that it looked infinite. It's styling could definitely be described as Baroque, the black colour outlining flowery details in the walls – the lack of opulence in colour was unnerving though. He wondered if this was what it felt like being in one of those psychiatry hospitals that were depicted in films and television shows. "Where... are we...?"

"This is the Warded Room," Belle's voice lilted. Zexion turned just as Belle entered the room. "Welcome to one of the safest pockets of space in the normal realm and the otherworld." She then smiled brightly. "Truly, its a remarkable piece of spellcraft. A masterpiece really."

"You mean... we're not in the real world?" Zexion asked.

"Oh no. The creator of this room created a space by weaving strands of magic in this world and the Fae Realm, at once abiding and yet also bending the rules of reality to make a separate continuum that exists and doesn't exist simultaneously."

"Translation: freaky genius basically made a room that has no sense of time or understanding of place," Axel butted in. He was sitting in a black chair, feet crossed over on the round ebony table where other chairs were patiently waiting for sitters to arrive.

"That's what I said," Belle frowned. She then turned her smile to Zexion. "Take a seat. It shouldn't be too much longer now until the Council begins to arrive."

Zexion wordlessly pulled out a chair for himself, sitting down next to Axel. Demyx took the seat next to him, while Belle remained standing. "When Axel said that this place doesn't have any sense of time, does that mean time acts differently here?"

"Hmm... I'd argue that time is at a standstill here," Belle answered. "It moves, but its hard to tell if it moves at a slower or faster rate than either reality. A minute here might be an hour in our world, but an hour here might be a minute in the Fae Realm. Or maybe its the other way around." She then chuckled. "It's one of the many mysteries of the laws of magic."

Zexion wondered if it was a bit like Schrödinger's Cat. At once here and yet not here. _Maybe that's what it is_.

"How much longer until everyone else gets here?" Demyx asked.

"Well... Beast should be here first unless he's otherwise occupied with something. Joshua comes when he comes, but I've no idea where he'd be at this point. I believe Auron's still talking to the Overseers since he last checked in with me. As for Vincent, I believe he had one errand he had to run with one of the smaller vampire clans before coming here." Belle took a seat a seat on the other end of the table. "As for your Patriarch and other third parties involved, I was forewarned that they'd be arriving fairly soon provided traffic isn't awful."

 _Does everyone just rely on transport?_ Zexion mused on that. Perhaps it really was physically impossible for the supernatural to move at hyperspeed. Then another thought occurred to him. "Ah, but if you're here and you can't get out on your own, who's going to greet them?"

"There are other ways into the Warded Room," Belle explained. She then twitched as if something had touched her. "Oh... speaking of other ways..."

There was a bright light in that moment. Who walked out of it and into the room took Zexion off guard... then again, at this point, he wasn't even sure what to expect anymore.

He didn't look much older than Sora, but the platinum-blond boy walked with all the confidence and maturity of a life well-lived. Dark eyes, at once filled with an ancient wisdom and a childish sense of mischief, flicked over the occupants of the room, causing a languid, sloping smile to grace angelic features. More noticeably though was the subtle rustling of the not as subtle pair of white wings that were modestly folding behind his slight form. "Oh? I'm the first here?" he asked. His voice almost sounded musical.

"I'm as surprised as you are," Belle replied. "You're usually so hard to get a hold of."

The boy(?) chuckled lightly as he took a seat, looking across at the trio in front of him. "I'm not sure we've met before. I'm Joshua."

Zexion's mind screeched to a halt. This was the Joshua that had been beside Clan Griever's Patriarch when this 'Xehanort' character was killed?! He looked _so **young**_! "Uh...um..."

"He's Zexion," Axel helpfully chipped in. "He's probably in shock that you look not that much older than his cousin despite the fact that you were around five hundred years ago at least."

This caused the angelic looking boy – no... he was a daemon – to laugh again. "I get that a lot. People get fixated on the idea that I ought to look a bit more impressive than this." He leaned back easily into his chair. "I choose to look a little more subdued just so I appear that bit more approachable. It's no fun being put on a pedestal, you know? You don't get a really good look at things when they're too far away for you to see."

"Says the daemon that has made it his life's work to keep himself a mystery," Belle murmured. This caused yet another soft rumble to escape from the daemon.

"Being a mystery is also fun." His dark eyes quickly appraised Zexion, as if searching for something. Zexion felt Demyx scoot over a little closer as if to protect him, but he gathered that Joshua only had to flick his fingers to push Demyx out of the way. "So... you're the one with the Book of Retribution?"

"Um... yes?"

"Hmm..." Joshua tilted his head from side to side, fingers drumming against his lips as if he were deep in thought. "...you're scrawnier than I imagined."

Zexion opened his mouth to ask what he meant by that when more bright lights flashed. This time he covered his mouth to hold back the startled gasp that had tried to escape, because the largest, furriest, _absolutely fucking terrifying_ creature he had ever seen had just lumbered into view. He didn't even know where to look! The horns! The snaggled, jutting fanged underbite! The hulking bestial form! The fact that this creature stalked over to Belle's seat, leaned over to nuzzle her ear gently with his snout before it took a seat next to her. Belle just smiled serenely. "Good appointment darling?" she asked softly.

"I managed to buy those ancient texts you had spotted for the collection," the guttural growl rumbled, the voice filling the entire room. Belle's russet gaze sparkled in joy.

"You didn't?! I thought they wouldn't ever let those go!"

"Money talks," the creature replied gruffly. He then turned to the trio; Zexion didn't expect to see two periwinkle eyes to glare at him. "...so he's the one?"

"Adam..." Belle said in a warning tone. "Be nice."

More flashes of light. A man with long, black hair, swathed in a raggedy red cloak now walked in, a clinking sound following his every movement as he walked. He said nothing in greeting, merely taking a seat. Zexion noticed that Axel and Demyx had both lowered their heads to him, meekly glancing his way. Even Axel had surreptitiously moved closer to Zexion. He was then followed by Lord Ansem, who had traded his white labcoat for a red cloak, Leon strolling a little behind him. Ansem and the black-haired man traded nods before the patriarch of Clan Griever took a seat. Leon lowered his head but he took a seat next to Demyx, gazing over to Zexion. While his mouth didn't smile, Zexion could see the reassuring warmth flash briefly in Leon's steel-blue eyes.

"Auron isn't here yet?" Ansem asked. To this, Belle gave him a nod.

"I suspect he and the additional third party are having a pep-talk," she offered. She then looked around the table. "Shall we wait a little longer or begin the meeting?"

"I'd like to compliment The Coven's sterling work in recent days in covering up Organisation related incidents from the mortals," Joshua began. "This must have been the most trying week for your sisters, Belle, given what's happened."

To this, Belle's cheeks went a little pink. "Oh, well it's nothing at all really. We're quite lucky being one of the largest in the country so there are plenty of hands willing to help."

"Even so... I can't thank you enough for your work yesterday evening," Ansem smiled. "The clan grounds look as good as new." He bowed his head slightly to her. "Please send The Grand Mother my deepest regards and gratitude to her when you next see her."

"I'll remember to do that," Belle promised. It was now that there was yet another flash of light. "Ah... Auron's here."

Zexion turned; red was clearly a colour of importance here because this man was swathed in vibrant vermillion, withered arm resting within the confines of the long robe as if it were a sling. But Zexion wasn't interested in this grizzled, hardened looking warrior. It was _who_ was behind him that had Zexion interest. " _Uncle Lament?!_ "

"Zexion!" He was out of his seat to go to the man who was unmistakeably Sora's father; they both had the same goofy expression in clear blue eyes. Lament met him part way. "Sora told me everything. Are you alright? You haven't been hurt or feeling strange?"

"I'm fine, but when the hell were you going to tell me about-" Zexion started waving his arms about as he makes his point. "-about any of _this_?"

His uncle's wrinkles deepened in a worrisome frown, bottom lip disappearing partially under his top one as hidden teeth started to worry into it. Yet another similarity between father and son. "Well..." There is nothing following that... Zexion knows that his uncle had never any intention of him becoming aware of the otherworld. To this he shakes his head. "That doesn't matter right now. Sora's brought me up to speed with what's going on. We're going to find a way to get you out of this mess. I promise."

"Uncle Lament... I-"

"As touching as the reunion is," the bestial member of the Council glowered, "we don't have the luxury of time for it to continue."

"Adam! Behave!" Belle scolded. She then turned her eyes to the uncle and nephew. "Please... let's all talk this through. There is... a lot to discuss."

* * *

Demyx didn't pay much attention to the meeting, his eyes watching Zexion's reactions to everything as the meeting unfurled. Some suggestions he did catch -as expected, the Fae Realm had been suggested, but was promptly shut down by Zexion's uncle and, thankfully, the Patriarch and a majority of Council members (Joshua had rather helpfully remained neutral for that)- but it felt like that every suggestion given there was a certain amount of resistance, not necessarily from the same people. For example, Zexion's uncle had raised the possibility of one of the witches from The Coven, one who specialised as a cursebreaker, could break the binding spell on the book and Zexion. This was met with a strong resistance from the Patriarch, Joshua (one of the few times he was not neutral on a suggestion), Belle and, surprisingly, the Beast. The Patriarch and Joshua, being the last two surviving members of the group who successfully defeated Xehanort the Seeker, had enough experience with the book to know that a specialist cursebreaker wasn't going to cut it this time around. Belle had reminded them that The Coven only had a handful of expert cursebreakers to hand and it would take them a long time to break such an ancient curse even if they did work collaboratively on it. The Beast (no one but Belle called him by his real name) had also helpfully reminded them that again, time was not a luxury; the Organisation could and probably would storm The Coven's land, which might ruin all of the cursebreakers' good work. The Organisation had already proven to be either strong enough or desperate enough to start attacking high profile otherworld sites even if only through the Nobodies they created.

All throughout this back-and-forth discussion, Demyx could see Zexion gradually sinking further and further into his seat. He couldn't even begin to imagine what he was thinking... and a part of him really did want to just take Zexion away, far away, to somewhere no one would find him.

It wasn't fair. Poor Zexion had been thrust into this world against his will, right in the middle of a war between rogue sorcerers and the rest of the supernatural community in the city. He idly nudged Zexion's hand with the back of his, hoping that the human would understand that if he needed it, comfort was available. Zexion's aqua gaze glanced in his direction, looking at him in confusion. Demyx offered him a smile, trying not to be disheartened when Zexion mouthed 'what is it?' to him. _Are all humans this dense...?_ He caught himself before finishing his train of thought. Was he actually trying to... use suggestion? _Oh come on Demyx... firstly you're awful at suggestion **and** seduction so it won't work. Secondly... dick move to pull on Zexion._ His hand, however, had other ideas as it nudged Zexion's again lightly. Zexion just gave him a quizzical frown. _Well... I'd rather a smile but this is good too._ Although part of him just wanted to hold his hand as a sort of comfort, he was getting a needling feeling in the back of his head. Leon was probably giving him his patented Warning Look™.

"Well, I have a suggestion," Joshua's voice broke through the tense stand off happening between Belle, the Beast, the Patriarch and the two hunters with Vincent. It even caused Axel, who had been dozing off, to jolt into wakefulness at how sudden it had been.

"What?" Auron's gravely voice grumbled.

"Well, given that the only suggestion that any majority of us can somewhat agree on, why don't we find a sorcerer willing to teach Zexion."

Demyx noticed that Auron and Zexion's uncle had noticeably tensed. "There's no guarantee the book won't affect any allied sorcerers," Auron frowned.

"Ah, but we're only thinking of the ones in... _this_ realm." Joshua smiled a little. "I have at least two in mind who make it their business being trans-dimensional."

"Aren't both incredibly difficult to get hold of?" Vincent asked, raising an eyebrow. "One of them is effectively a time traveller."

"You are speaking to the most powerful daemon in the city," Joshua pointed out. His wings ruffled a little. "Trans-dimensional travelling is nothing to me if the other candidate is living in the same timeline as us compared to our time traveller."

"...would he even do it?" This was Zexion's uncle talking.

"I'm sure if I asked him nicely he'd be at least willing to meet him." Joshua smiled serenely. "Besides, I trust him. Was he not instrumental in our victory over Xehanort the Seeker, Ansem?"

"...I have to concede to that point. He was... most helpful in getting us to grips with how the Thirteen Grimoires worked."

Demyx looked over to Zexion, who was looking really rather confused by all this. He had to admit that he wasn't really following this line of thought either. "You're seriously suggesting sending my nephew to... _him_? The trans-dimensional _hermit_?" Lament questioned.

"That 'hermit' is the most powerful sorcerer we know of," Joshua chided. "I can think of no better teacher than him... besides Merlin." He then glanced around. "Any objections? Because the way I see it, he's out of harm's way _and_ the book is out of reach."

"...Only if there's a commitment to find a way to break the binding spell," Lament conditioned. He was looking over to his nephew. "...I made a promise to his father to keep Zexion away from all of this."

Once again Demyx was looking at Zexion for his reaction, surprised that the human seemed... calm? No... no that wasn't quite it. The face was calm, yet the blood was rushing about in an agitated manner. _He's angry?_ He wondered if he asked, Zexion would tell him. _Because this is probably the first major angry reaction you've had in this whole effed up meeting._

He wasn't holding his breath though. Which was why Zexion standing up from his seat startled him. "Zexion?"

"Anything else you'd like to keep from me, Uncle Lament?" Zexion asked. There was ice in his voice despite him trying his hardest to keep it monotone. The hunter's eyes widened in surprise at the cold question. "Because it's starting to get on my nerves that my family all seem to know what's going on while keeping me in the dark." Demyx believed that Zexion was well within his right to be angry given the circumstances but... He dared to reach for Zexion's wrist, hoping to silently tell him that he needed to sit down.

"Zexion, your father only wanted to keep you and your mother safe," Lament tried to explain. "It was better that way. None of you had-"

"You mean my father had no ability to be a hunter despite everyone else in the family being one. So why tell the kid about it _despite_ the fact that you raised him after... after _that happened_!" To this, Lament had no response. "I get that you didn't want me to be involved, but not telling me about the otherworld has only got me into this mess! You _knew_ that I write about strange books for a living! I'm even sure Sora would have told you about the small collection of occult books I have! What makes you think it was harmless given how I've just found out how close normality and the otherworld is?!"

Demyx swallowed his hesitancy and took Zexion's wrist in his hand, tugging him lightly as if to anchor him back to where they were. "Zexion... it's okay... he only did what he thought was right," Demyx murmured, having to raise his voice since human hearing had nothing on vampire hearing. He could feel the human's arm trembling... and feel the blood rushing around before, slowly, calming down under his palm.

"...I'll go with this, for my sake," Zexion stated. "But when this is all over... I want a full explanation."

"...you'll get it," Lament promised.

Demyx wondered if that was just an empty one though. He lived long enough to know that this was not an easy situation to just get out of. The question of 'when' never had a definitive answer. He should know. Two hundred years of wondering about when this craziness he had willingly stepped into would end did that to a person.

He just didn't expect Zexion to be another part of the path they were on. Just like he didn't expect Zexion to just pull away from the table completely. "I need to get out," he said lowly. "I need... I need some air." He was looking at Belle and the Beast, the couple looking at each other pensively for a moment before the Beast nodded and clambered out of his seat, stalking over to where the bright light had been. Demyx got out of his seat as well, following after Zexion while also shaking his head to Axel and Leon who both starting to rise from theirs. The human needed some space, and three vampires crowding around him was only going to upset him. That much he was sure on.

"...Just be careful," Leon whispered lowly so that no one else could hear them talk.

"There's a river I can use as a source and the place is crawling with lycanthropes. I'll manage," Demyx assured him. He caught sight of the bright portal opening in his peripheral, quickly scooting after Zexion as he passed through.

* * *

They were back in the main hall of the museum, the two side by side as the portal blinked out. Zexion wasn't saying much, but his hunched up and closed off body language told him everything he needed to know. "...it wasn't like he knew that you were going to pick it up," Demyx offered kindly.

"I just don't understand why he didn't think to tell me when he knows that I collect and write about those kinds of books," Zexion sighed unhappily. "I mean... I get Sora. He was probably told not to say anything, but at least Sora always made it clear just how uncomfortable he was. But my uncle... no... there isn't an excuse. He should have..."

Demyx put a hand on Zexion's shoulder, causing the human to jump. "Hey, at least he's in there trying to do his best by you." He leaned over a little. "I'm just... sad that we're not able to give you anything that resembles normality for you."

"What is normal anymore?" Zexion snorted. He then sighed heavily, his hunched shoulders dropping. "...sorry about that horrible show in there."

"You were well within your right to act up a bit," Demyx smiled. "Besides, if that was your idea of 'horrible', I'd hate to see what your idea of 'apocalyptic' looks like."

He felt a little swell of pleasure at seeing a tiny, amused smile appear on Zexion's currently sullen features. "Well... I have it on good authority that I'm too measured for my own good. No... I think the phrase used was 'too cool' for my own good."

"Sora by any chance?"

"How could you tell?"

Demyx had to cover his mouth to keep a snorting laugh from escaping, but the inescapable atmosphere of uncertainty was still hanging over Zexion like an unwanted rain cloud. It would take a lot to cheer him up... fortunately they had a whole museum and castle to themselves if you forgot about the lycanthrope security guards patrolling about.

That's when the inspiration slammed him like that thunder god dude's hammer. Er... Molner? Mulnar? Nollnear? He couldn't remember... he'd have to ask Leon about that. Leon was the one that had to teach him how to read and write after all, so he should know something like that. Or maybe Zexion. Zexion was smart. "So... we have a creepy museum and castle to ourselves for however long this thing is gonna take..." Zexion turned to Demyx, raising a quizzical eyebrow. "Want to take a look around?"

"Isn't there, like, heavy security?"

"Not if you're protected by a heck of a lot of charms and one pack of easily irritable werewolves living in fear of a very old, very grumpy werebeast," Demyx replied. "We'll be fine so long as we don't break things." Automatically, not even thinking about it by this point, Demyx's hand was wrapped around Zexion's, pulling him along. "Come on, come on! I'm sure you can tell me everything about this place!"

He was grinning at Zexion's protest that Demyx was more likely to be able to tell _him_ something he didn't know, but it didn't matter. The point of this was to keep Zexion's mind off what was going on... and hopefully to cheer him up if he could.

* * *

A figure kept their eyes on Radiant Garden Castle, sticking to the shadows as they waited for that familiar pulse of magic they had all been tracking. It was almost amusing how much trouble one human was giving them, though they figured that their group was going about it all the wrong way. Why try to kill the boy when they could instead recruit him? Teach him how to control the book, use its power for their ends? They only had to explain to the soon-to-be sorcerer what the group's motivations were, and they were sure he'd be on board once he realised how noble the cause was.

It'd be a shame to kill such a cute boy after all. They shuddered as a pulse went through his body, turning their attentions to the ivy they had been using to get a better sense of what was going on. It was telling them that the cute one had reappeared in the museum building and was wandering about with only one other. They smirked a little. "You kept me waiting... Zexion."


	9. Rain kissed briar

**A/N:** Ordinarily, I'd wait until I get a couple of reviews to gauge how well its been received... but for some reason this chapter came out really quickly. Like... I haven't written this obsessively since back in secondary school (mid-high school for those not in UK/similar education systems). It's actually a little frightening.

Er, so yeah. Since I'm jumping the gun a bit, thanks everyone who read the previous chapter! Hopefully you guys will like this one just as much too! Reviews will be appreciated (and sorry for jumping straight! But hey, double update?! FROM ME?!)

\- love from, Rosa xx

* * *

Not that he didn't appreciate what Demyx was doing, but it was getting a little tiresome with all this wandering about empty hallways filled to the brim with local history. Zexion wasn't sure if he wanted to stare at another old master glorifying a king as some sort of ethereal godly entity blessed with divine rights to rule. Nor was he sure he wanted to look at a statue depicting revolutionaries as all-conquering heroes of the people. He wasn't really even taken by the ancient treasures of the founders of Radiant Garden City.

He just wanted a moment to think. Everything was starting to get to him. He wondered if Demyx was starting to realise that he didn't really want to meander through the museum.

They were now sitting in one of the galleries used to display impressive still lives painted pre-Final Revolution. Even now looking at one felt more like you were staring at a very sharply focused photograph than a painting. "...you wanna talk about it?" Demyx asked.

"...yes... no... I don't know anymore," Zexion sighed, pulling his knees up to his chest. "If you had told me this time last week that I was going to be involved with some sort of world-ending situation that was completely supernatural, I'd be calling emergency services."

"Well... yeah, I guess it is a little much." Demyx turned his teal eyes on a still life painting of a vase of flowers in eternal bloom. "...You know... when I was turned, it took me a while to get to grips with everything. I was still trying to get my head around how close I was to dying."

Zexion looked at Demyx, taking in his youthful profile. _Nope, I still don't believe that he's older than me._ "...why did you turn?" Demyx's gaze turned to him. "I'm curious. I mean... did you decide to turn? And why?"

He seemed hesitant... though he then shrugged, pulling his legs up to sit cross-legged. "Okay... let's see... it was 1815 and yours truly was living his best life as a homeless busker when he wasn't pickpocketing other folks for money. I was minding my own, pickpocketing per usual, when I get caught."

"You were arrested?"

"Nope. I ran as fast I could. I was pretty athletic even back then, so it wasn't really a matter or 'how' I was going to shake them off, but 'when' I was going to." Zexion detected a little pride in that smile. "Though... I kinda ran into Leon as a result."

"You... you just ran into him?"

"Yeah. Some sort of errand or other he was running at the time. Whatever it was, he just automatically threw me against the wall." He chuckled. "He thought he was being attacked. Got away with a few bruises on my back for that." He then shrugged. "That's how I met Leon. Thanks to that, those guys chasing me ran straight past and Leon spent the next hour freaking out that he potentially and accidentally killed a sixteen year old kid."

"Good god..."

"Mmhm." Demyx leaned back. "Next thing I know, I'm waking up in these fancy bachelor rooms, thought the worst and started planning my great escape back to the city. Well... when I say 'great escape', what I really mean is I tried to book it through the window, freaked out at how high up we were and that there weren't any footholds for me to climb down with, then tried for the door. Axel beat me to it though."

"So Axel was there...?"

"Yeah. They've been together as long as I've been with them." Demyx then furrowed his eyebrows. "Now what happened next... why is it that I always remember the slightly violent times when it comes to how I first met them... oh yeah! So there I was, trapped between two strange men and fearing for my life, when all of a sudden Leon offers me a place to stay in return for doing a few odd jobs for him. Messenger stuff, odd bit of pickpocketing if he told me what it is he wanted from who, that kind of thing... and I still could do my busking if I wanted to. Win-win situation all round, or at least I thought that."

"Did... something happen?"

"Yeah... Leon came back one night really badly hurt, and Axel wasn't anywhere to be seen. Back then we didn't have blood banks so... Leon really needed to feed."

"Don't tell me..."

"Nah. Still too young at seventeen. He kept muttering about needing to feed and I was trying to get him to eat. You can imagine how well that went."

"You didn't know they were vampires?"

"Neither really wanted to say. I think they both believed I'd bugger off eventually once I clocked that something wasn't quite right with them. You know, the not ageing thing and whatnot. But yeah, Leon looked ready to pass out, and he just blurted out that he needed blood. Wasn't sure what he meant by that so idiot me asked him to spell it out. And... one explanation and a pretty unfair use of suggestion later, I'm getting fed from." Demyx shrugged. "I was pissed off, but once I calmed down and started getting used to the idea of them being vampires, I sorta let it slide. Plus, food and shelter was a big motivation for me. _Plus_ , it wasn't as bad as what some kids and girls did to get off the street back in those days. I had it pretty easy in comparison."

"Did... did they continue to feed from you?" Zexion asked.

"Not often. When they did they always made sure that I was taken care of afterwards. Again, I got lucky. After I turned I learnt that some vampires just used to outright kill other humans living on the street because no one cared."

"That's awful..."

"That's history for ya." He didn't seem that fazed, and it was in that moment Zexion really believed Demyx was older than him; despite the youthful appearance, his teal eyes held a wisdom that only someone who had seen the things he had could. "I spent the next couple of years with them as their goffer and last resort blood source, and I guess we were all friends by the time I turned nineteen. They trusted me enough to keep watch outside the old clan grounds while they went in for a meeting. I was going to turn twenty in a few months." He then looked down. "...it was the day the Book of Retribution got stolen..."

Zexion's eyes widened. "Wait... you... you turned when the Book of Retribution got stolen?!"

"Yeah... I tried to stop the guy that was trying to run off with it but I got stabbed really badly. We guessed it was probably a human burglar that panicked." Demyx sighed. "Rather then chase after him, Leon stayed with me instead. I didn't want to die, he was in shock and... well... he asked if he could turn me. So I said yes." He shrugged again. "I... I just didn't want to die."

He hadn't expected this sort of story but... Zexion think he could understand why Demyx made the choice. It wasn't lust for power, or the promise of a long life, or any of the cliched reasons you might find about characters in vampire fiction wanting to turn, or their motivation for turning. It was just wanting to live. How human was that? "...if you don't mind me asking... what was it like... turning?"

"It hurt like a bitch," Demyx replied. He scratched the back of his neck. "Like... I don't even know how to describe how much it hurt. It's like... like you're dying but the pain is validating that you _are_ alive at the same time? Does that even make sense?"

"No... not really."

"Well... hopefully you won't get a preview of that," Demyx murmured. He then looked over to Zexion. "I... I don't know what you're gonna decide to do, and I wouldn't even dream of telling you what to do, but you need to know that whatever you choose to do in the otherworld... there's always a price to pay. Especially with vampirism and lycanthropy." He then untangled his long legs and forced himself up. "Well that got deep and dark quickly! Let's go do something fun!"

It startled Zexion how quickly Demyx could switch his feelings from pensive to cheerful, but... he supposed talking about being turned was always going to be a little difficult. Then again, Demyx had more than willingly told him about it. He wasn't sure any of the other turned vampires would be so willing if it was... well, he guessed turning was a pretty traumatic experience if Demyx was hoping _he_ wouldn't get 'a preview' of it. "...alright, what exactly do you have in mind given we're still in here and probably will be for a while?"

"Gardens? Security knows that we're here so they're not going to start chasing us."

"Are you sure it'd be okay going outside?"

"We're still within castle grounds, so Belle's warding charms and the Beast's pack should pick up on Nobodies before they even appear." Demyx gave him his bright, reassuring grin, and once again Zexion found himself finding it unbelievable that this vampire was older than him. "And you've got me protecting you." He shouldered his guitar case. "So... we should be fine." He held his hand out to Zexion, waiting expectantly for him to take it.

Zexion sighed, pushing himself off of his seat, opting not to take his hand. "Fine."

* * *

The ivy was doing well keeping up with the pair, slithering through the cracks and bumps of the walls as it followed the thumping vibrations of feet echoing in empty galleries and halls. They had since started moving, concentrating on keeping the connection with the ivy alive while simultaneously looking for an appropriate entry point to the castle gardens. If there was one thing they had learned in their time as a sorcerer, they knew that patience yielded results, and tonight they needed results.

Besides, they might get a cute wannabe sorcerer in the process. "Keep following them... don't let them escape your presence." They finally reach a nice little gate; iron wrought with security codes and a piddly security camera, and a few alarming spells. Nothing they couldn't handle. "Hmph... how insultingly easy," they mutter as seconds later, gnarled tree roots that come from a nearby tree they've persuaded strangle and wretch the physical aspects barring their way. With a flick of their fingers they disarms the alarm charms by using creeping vines to strangle the charm's physical tethers. That was the problem with witchcraft; such sticklers for the rules and laws of magic when sorcery allowed you to bend and break them to your own will. Nothing wrong with a little chaos in a rigidly ordered world.

They walk through, waving a hand to force the roots to block the path so that there isn't an escape. The lycanthropes would be the next to be dealt with... and oh how they loved to use the fragile flowers to incapacitate them.

* * *

Zexion had to admit that it was a lot better getting actual fresh air then meandering around darkened corridors, pulling his jacket a little closer around him as the evening chill tried to grip him. Demyx seemed unfazed by the wind... then again, Zexion had noted that Demyx's hands were cold at all times. Maybe vampires didn't feel it.

Demyx is still walking, only stopping to take a seat on a nearby bench that had only recently been installed. "So... do I get to know your story then?" he asked him.

"What?"

"Your story? I got the detail that you'd been living with your uncle, and that your parents died, but not much else beyond that."

"I think those are the two salient points worth knowing," Zexion replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah but... well, okay, there's not much I can tell you about me pre-turn since a lot of it is fuzzy now, but it'd be good if we got to know each other a bit better. I mean... I'd be a real corpse if it weren't for you."

Zexion had been about to say that he didn't do anything, but then remembered that actually he had in a twisted way saved Demyx's... life? Unlife? Undeath? He wasn't really sure how he'd phrase it. "It wasn't anything really..."

"It was something. I mean... I drank _a lot_ from you." Demyx pursed his lips tightly. "I owe you... and I guess I kinda owe Leon as well since he gave up the 'Noblesse first' thing." He pulled his legs up to his chest. "And I did promise that I'd protect you. In front of the Patriarch. So... yeah..."

Zexion wasn't really sure what sort of response he should be giving to that. In some ways he thought Demyx was only being overly protective because he made that promise to the patriarch of his clan, but he didn't actually think that it was out of gratitude.

With a defeated sigh, he sat down next to Demyx. "Alright. What do you want to know?" He looked over to him, his eyes staring out from under his bangs. "Keep in mind that I might not be willing to tell you everything."

"I won't push for it," Demyx promised. "I'm not asking for your life story in detail, cause hell I don't think I could tell you mine. Too much life story in my case."

Zexion would disagree on that but he supposed the 219 year old probably knew what he was talking about. He took a deep breath. "Okay... well, pretty normal childhood I suppose. Okay at school, always a bit quiet, only child in a fairly normal family... well, I thought it was pretty normal. Lived in Radiant Garden my whole life, though we'd sometimes go visit family on Destiny Islands in the summer. Then... well, the accident happened."

"How old were you when it happened?"

"..." He thought about it. It wasn't like the emotional wound was raw or anything, but it wasn't a conversation he had with people he just met. "...ten."

"Shit... too young," Demyx murmured.

"Did you lose yours?" Zexion asked.

"Yeah but I was a bit older. Fourteen roundabouts." Demyx's face screwed up. "I don't... really remember their faces at all. I don't even remember if I had siblings or not." He shrugged. "I guess I probably didn't." Zexion couldn't help but think that was awfully sad that Demyx had no memory of what his parents looked like, or if he had other family members. "Anyways... you got taken in by your uncle?"

"Mmhm." Zexion nodded his head a little. "Not like there was much of a fight over me from what I hear. The entirety of my maternal side of the family made the offers but didn't really fight my uncle when he said he'd take me in. Guess they didn't want some gloomy kid." He was shrugging; once upon a time it might have angered him, but it had been eleven years now. He just didn't care about them; they hadn't even bothered to stay in touch, and he stopped trying after a while. "Uncle Lament and Aunt Cielle were really good. Like superhero good. I know I was a nightmare to take care of." He felt his shoulders slump. "I... I stopped eating completely."

Demyx said nothing. All he did was scoot a little closer, as if to silently tell him that there was a shoulder ready if he needed it. The gesture was sweet but Zexion had done all his crying already. What was the point? It didn't change anything. "Aunt Cielle would really try to get me to eat but I just wouldn't. I was there, but not really there at the same time. I'm pretty sure I spent nearly two months in my room not really doing anything. She at least got me to drink, and sometimes she'd get me to eat a cracker at the very least. Then she made me go see a grief councillor, then a psychiatrist to help me out." Now that he thought about it, he really was a brat to his aunt and uncle... but they never gave up on him. He might have starved himself to death if they hadn't stepped in. "It took me a while but I got through it."

"...I couldn't imagine it..."

"Huh?"

"Oh, no, I mean, I know what it's _like_ to be starving. I was just a brat on the streets trying to survive before I turned, but... I just couldn't imagine making a conscious decision not to eat."

"It wasn't really a conscious choice..." Zexion faltered. That was a lie though. Demyx didn't need to know that. "But yeah, that's why I'm underweight. I eat just fine these days, but... you know... where other's stress eat, I stress starve."

"...that is not healthy."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious, for pointing that out." He nearly flinched when Demyx suddenly leaned over, their noses almost touching. "De-Demyx?"

"Hey... does this mean that you're going to stress starve in all this? Wait... come to think of it... we haven't eaten in ages! Well, not that big a deal for vampires since we only really need blood to keep going but NOT THE POINT! _You_ haven't eaten in ages!"

"...I drank water?"

"Not good enough!" Demyx was giving him a chiding stare... and Zexion, too late, had realised that he had possibly caused the overprotectiveness to go through the roof. "I'm serious Zexion. If you're not going to eat, then it isn't going to be safe for anyone to feed from you if... if you give them the go ahead. You could pass out. You could _die!_ "

"I really-"

"No, no, no! This is a very serious point I'm making! I'm going to force doughnuts down your throat if I have to!" He then pauses and frowns. "Aw shit, I'm not even sure there's like a 24/7 doughnut shop close by..."

"Why specifically doughnuts?"

"Because they taste great and I get to eat something as well! Plus sugar! Sugar is good!"

"Why do I get the feeling you're just looking for an excuse to eat doughnuts? Besides, I thought vampires don't need to eat."

"Just because we don't _need_ to, doesn't mean its a good idea not to." Demyx shrugs. "Plus, food's great! I love food!"

Despite himself, despite his hardest to school his expression into one of neutral annoyance, he can't help but let out a soft chuckle at Demyx's antics. Though really... it had been a long time since someone other than Sora's family worried about his eating habits like this. Then again, it wasn't something his old university circle of friends were privy to. "...why do I get the feeling that-" He paused, blinking lightly. Was that ivy creeper always there? Was it just him or had it moved? "...Demyx, maybe we should move..."

"Huh? What's-" Quicker than either of them could react, the ivy had suddenly snapped into life and wrapped itself around Demyx's wrist, causing him to yelp in alarm. Zexion barely had time to get off the bench, his hand immediately on the messenger bag. Demyx struggled against the ivy, not even seeing that another tendril of ivy had snapped at his other wrist while a third is now snaking around Demyx's waist. "What the-?! Zexion! Run!"

"But what about you?!"

"Don't worry about me! JUST RUN!"

Zexion turned on his heel, his face falling when he realised that ivy creepers had already blocked the door back into the castle. _Shit... shit what do I do?!_

"Now now... let's not be too hasty," a soft voice purred. For reasons unknown to him, the voice sounds familiar and yet it is sending shivers down his spine. He turned slowly, watching as a figure cloaked completely in black approaches them, face hidden beneath a heavy, leathery hood. "It'd be a shame if I had to hurt you."

"Zexion! RUN!" Demyx screamed in desperation; seconds later, his mouth is gagged by ivy and he's forced onto the ground, hands behind his back and face almost forced into the stone paving. Zexion knows instinctively that the ivy is being controlled by the figure.

"Stop it!" Zexion demanded. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that this person has ill intentions towards them. That there is only one reason they're here. Zexion's fingers tightened around his messenger bag, pulling it behind him protectively. "Don't make me use it! I have enough control over it to be your worst nightmare!"

"Oh well aren't you just precious!" The figure was closing the gap between them, forcing Zexion to take a few steps back to get some distance. "Now... I have these rather repulsive orders to destroy anything getting in the way, but I feel that a nice chat might get you to see things our way." They seemed to be looking around. Demyx was screaming through his gag. "Short of one annoyance, we appear to be completely alone at the moment. Perfect chance to talk while the bureaucracy is busy."

"Let Demyx go." _What do I do... I can't just stand here and be the damsel in distress again... I have to do something..._ His hand slowly strayed into his messenger bag... it was starting to become second nature, but this time he was fully aware of what he was doing. _I know that there's every chance that you might kill me... but right now I need you to work with me. I don't want Demyx to get hurt._

– _ **I suppose. I've no real desire to be taken by a two-bit sorcerer like that one anyway.**_

Zexion nearly flinched at the very _human_ response he just received. Even so... it was reassuring. _Then... you'll help?_

– _ **Only out of pity.**_

His fingers close around the grimoire and slowly he pulls it out. The figure pauses in their approach, as if gauging the situation. "...that book you have in your hand is a very powerful artefact. It binding itself to you means that you have very latent abilities. I'm surprised it wasn't picked up sooner." Zexion frowned heavily. There was a lot he felt should have been picked up sooner... but it was Uncle Lament that had all the answers. "It's a beautiful gift to have. It'd be tragic not to use it."

"What exactly do you want with the book?" Zexion demanded. "I get that it's powerful, but why have it?"

The figure hummed a little, as if they were contemplating whether to tell him or not. "...if you must know, then I can give you a small summary." The voice was no longer purring. It had become a flat monotone, devoid of emotion. "This world is stymied by rules and laws, not just on magic but on keeping ourselves hidden from the mortals. They without power. They who apparently have inherited the earth through fear and hatred of us... we say no more to that." They held their hand out to Zexion. "With your help and the Book of Retribution, we can be one step closer to a new and better world, one where those with power and magic rule over the talentless, unwashed masses. All you have to do... is take my hand."

Zexion's eyes widened. This was... this was... He looked over to Demyx, who was still screaming through his gag, struggling to escape from the ivy that only seemed to cling to him tighter. "Come on Zexion... these fools in their high castles and dark shadows are too scared to take back what is rightfully ours. You could show them a better way... vampires in particular would benefit from such a world."

– _ **In so much that this person is suggesting tyranny over mortals. Which I'm for if you are.**_

 _NO!_ Zexion's hand flipped open the book at that point. The book had opened on a spell that he couldn't quite understand as it was in another language, but that didn't matter. "You'll have to force it out of my cold, dead hands!" He could hear Demyx yelp sharply in response.

The figure sighed. "I'm so bitterly disappointed in you Zexion... but no matter." They clicked their fingers; barbed briars broke through the stone paved ground, twisting and writhing around the figure. "Though I'd much rather you were alive."

Zexion wasn't even in control for what happened, but at least, this time, he was a willing participant. The book, or whatever sentient will it had, was filling Zexion's mouth with words, his sight was suddenly much sharper and brighter and it was all so strange because he could _see_ fish-wire thin strands sparkling in his vision.

– _ **Do you see it? This is what magic looks like. Threads that keep the world together. Witches weave them... sorcerers choose to bend and break them to their will.**_

Zexion tried not to flinch when windows behind him suddenly crashed open, setting off a few alarms in the process. He tried not to be alarmed when his vision was swarmed by sheets of paper – museum guides, official looking documents, membership forms, basically anything that was loose and didn't destroy priceless literature. He knew what to do... he knew exactly what he was going to do.

"Impressive," the figure breathed. They clicked their fingers again and gestured towards him, the briars bending to their will and looking ready to whip and grab at Zexion. He was faster though; he thought of protecting himself and the swarm of paper was building a huge wall, taking dents but sturdy enough to not let a single briar through. He glanced over to Demyx, who was staring at him with a mixed expression that was unreadable. _I've got to get him cut loose._ With a small flicking gesture of his hand, a few papers from his wall come away, folding into sharp angles before they hurtle towards Demyx. The vampire flinches, but the paper planes do their work; he's freed from his bonds, his hand immediately going for the guitar case.

With a speed that alarms Zexion, Demyx slides behind the wall, not even glancing at him as the zip is undone and the guitar is nearly ripped out. "...Zexion, I'm going to try and distract them. Run when you see an opening."

"I'm not leaving you to face this guy alone!"

"Please... Zexion... just do it." He looks over his shoulder, his teal eyes swimming with worry. "I don't want you to get hurt."

Zexion felt a retort die on his lips. Although Demyx had always seemed a bit of a goofball, there was something about him that had taken him off guard. He didn't get the chance to ponder on it as Demyx was already starting to play notes, fingers pressing against the glistening Materia frets as a short melody seeped. Zexion noticed that water features had burbled into silence... and that water was starting to move at a startling pace to pool close to Demyx, who already had a small sphere of water pulsating and sloshing about in front of him. "...be careful," was all could manage, though in reality he would rather they tried to hold their ground until help arrived. Surely Belle or the Beast would know something was wrong and end the meeting.

Demyx gave him a small smile. It wasn't one of those goofy, reassuring ones that Zexion was getting used to. It was... something entirely different. "I will." He then took a deep breath and sprinted out from cover; Zexion couldn't see what was going on behind his paper wall, but he could hear water thrashing about and the figure gasping in surprise. "Got more where those came from!"

* * *

If it wasn't for the fact that he was a severely unprepared Cavaliere with a huge talent for hydrokinesis that was being amplified by Cid's new toy, Demyx might have felt proud that he had aimed that jet stream with pinpoint precision to get the figure in the face. It was causing the briars to wave about hysterically, lashing around at anything. _Good. Good. Keep your focus on me._

Vampires weren't supernaturally fast to the point of travelling at the speed of light or anything like that, but Demyx was a natural sprinter already and having cat-like agility definitely helped as he hopped and twisted out of harm's way, spheres of water either bombing the figure or turning into jet streams that would bend the briars back. More to the point, it helped make him unpredictable. He had already gathered that the figure's style was all about timing and patience, so as long as he kept moving unpredictably, as long as he changed direction sharply, stop suddenly to strike a chord before slipping away at the last second, never be in the same place for too long, he can out run this guy's magic. He knows he has the endurance to last, even when carrying the guitar – actually, the guitar is deceptively light, so his movement isn't even impeded that much.

He has to keep running. He has to keep frustrating the sorcerer. He has to keep his attention completely so that Zexion had a chance to escape. It didn't matter what happened to him now. It really didn't.

So it surprised him when a briar does scrape past him, nicking his cheek just as he twisted out of the way. The barb definitely stings, but its nothing he won't heal from. However, he notices that it's gone taught... and there is a definite screech of pain.

His eyes were wide with horror as he turns to follow the briar's path, seeing that Zexion's right arm is now snagged by the cruel bards of the briar, the paper flying about in a swarm of knife sharp angles trying to cut the briar away. It's absolutely ruined Zexion's jacket sleeve, and he's sure that the barbs have cut right down through two layers of fabric to draw blood. He could _smell_ it. That distinctive, sweet yet savoury scent.

Something inside Demyx in that moment snapped. He could feel his fangs aching, his body trembling, and it was taking everything within him to keep control of himself. After all Zexion was still in the area... still at risk of being caught in the crossfire. _Zexion... he hurt Zexion... he hurt what's mine..._

Water was once again being drawn to him. He could feel his eyes burning as the unbridled rage took over. "How... dare... you..." It's building around him, a wall of water that is growing taller and taller, twisting and turning as if its alive and feeling the same anger he is. It becomes clear that the figure is taken aback by this turn of events. Good... it only meant this was going to make him feel all the more better for doing this.

The chord he struck is sharp and wrathful, the sound jarring in what should have been a very peaceful evening. The effect it causes is gratifying. The water tower that's been looming over him has finally started to lurch forward. He doesn't care that he's soaked from the water moving over him, but his smirk twists into sadistic satisfaction when it crashes with thunderous aplomb onto the figure and their briars. The pleasure only trebled when the aftermath of his monster home-made tidal wave revealed that it had not only knocked the hooded figure of their feet and left them a sputtering, sodden mess, it had caused considerable damage to the briars, snapping some wriggling tendrils to snap in two. The one that had gripped Zexion's arm had broken in three places, freeing the smaller man.

Although he'd admit the move was cathartic for him, he was no where near done. Oh no. Not by a long shot. He's already forcing water to come back to him, ready to do the move again, just wanting to smash this sorcerer like the bug they are. He even considers shaping the water into a large mallet just to make a point, or an anvil, or something so comical it would add salt to the wound. He doesn't even hear the characteristic howls of werewolves finally making their way over, his eyes completely transfixed on the figure who was trying to get back on their feet. The water has now formed just a large, simple sphere, definitely large enough to make the figure pause for thought. He's going to smash them with it. He's going to make them feel ten times the pain Zexion felt with that little stunt they pulled.

The growl that escapes him is almost feral when he realised that the sorcerer is making a hand gesture, forcing a shadowy portal to appear behind him. "Oh no you don't!" Demyx is ready to strike the chord, not about to let the bastard get away. He doesn't even care that there's a group of four werewolves, fully transformed into bipedal beasts with lupine heads, hurtling towards the figure, their intent bristling in their dark fur. He doesn't care if they get hurt.

But Zexion does. He yelps as he suddenly feels something papery wrap around his arm, effectively stopping him from making the final blow. The figure uses the delay to run into the portal. The werewolves dive at it, guttural growls and snarls ringing in his ears. It's too late though. The portal shuts, but Demyx doesn't see it happen.

He's looking at Zexion who has since reached him, the book clutched tight to his chest with his left arm while his bloodied right hand manages to maintain the paper cuff keeping Demyx from playing the guitar. All it took was for him to meet Zexion's glowing aqua gaze that was quietly ordering him to stop, and all the fury that had roiled away inside him like a violent whirlpool had subsided. His body, tight and rigid earlier, relaxed instantly and his absolute control over the water sphere slowly starts to unravel. He knows that the sphere is moments away from popping if he's not careful, so he quietly lets it drain out, raining on them rather than dispersing and possibly flooding the place.

Quietly, he's rather glad that the fight has been rewarded with this sight he's witnessing. Demyx was already drenched, but seeing Zexion's hair start to cling to the contours of his face and his black clothes somehow, impossibly, getting darker the more water seeps into them, outlining the shape of the small human, has helped to anchor him back to reality. Back to the here and now. Zexion was hurt, but he wasn't in danger anymore. Zexion slowly lowered his right hand, releasing the control he had over whatever magic he had been using. Demyx realises only now that they're surrounded by soggy, disintegrating paper now. The cuff is still sticking to him despite it not having any power to restrain him. _He's okay..._ The relief washes over in waves. He's not paying any attention to the werewolves who are pacing, howling and communicating with others throughout the castle and museum grounds.

No, he can only look at Zexion. _Yessss..._ he silently hisses in quiet content. He reaches for Zexion's injured arm. "You're hurt..."

"It's... It's just a scratch," Zexion replied weakly. Demyx only pushes the tattered sleeve away, taking care around barbs that are still clinging to Zexion, and he can see that it's no 'scratch'. It's a long cut that goes down from the inside of Zexion's wrist and wraps around halfway his lower arm. The rain is washing it away a bit, but it's bleeding profusely.

Demyx pulled him closer, hand still carefully handling Zexion's arm. It was going to scar; it was too deep for it to be a mere scratch, but at the very least he could aid the healing process. Besides... it's not a bite. Not really. Without saying a word, he carefully teases the two barbs that were stubbornly buried into Zexion's skin, giving him an apologetic grimace when the human winces. "Sorry... not quite got Aerith's hands," he mumbled. The rain was starting to lessen now.

"It's okay..." Zexion murmured. They vaguely heard one of the werewolves, now forcing himself back into a human form despite the shredded clothing barely covering him modestly, muttering that they were going to see if they could get into contact with the Warded Room as it seemed the alarm charms had been dispelled. Demyx decides to just move Zexion back to the bench, wanting to just get his wound cleaned up. He glanced up at him for a moment.

"...can I lick it?"

"...why?" Zexion's voice is small. Shaken. Scared.

"It needs to be cleaned," he whispered in explanation. He waits for Zexion's answer, schooling himself to not jump in without Zexion's go ahead. It nearly surprises him when Zexion just gives him a nod.

Demyx guided him to sit down, taking a seat soon after while carefully lifting up the injured arm. His guitar is standing the to side, forgotten in the moment, the odd drops of water still falling tinkling the strings. The werewolves that have stuck behind are snuffling through the gardens, snarling and snapping at anything that looks suspicious as they try to hunt down any other trespasser. Demyx doesn't even pay attention to any of that as he looks at the wound. The smell of Zexion's blood is intoxicating, and it's taking everything within him to not give in to temptation. No. He's better than that. He knows he's better than that.

Tentatively, Demyx leaned down, running his tongue experimentally up a section of the cut that trailed jaggedly up to Zexion's wrist. He can feel the pulse against his tongue, but he focuses on the task. He tries not to focus on the taste... or how Zexion's skin seems to heat up under his cold touch... or how he's shivering, but its hard to tell if that's from being wet, coming down from adrenaline after that fight, or indeed if it's because of him. No. He couldn't think of those things right now. He needs to clean this wound before there's a chance for infection to settle in. He slides his tongue down along the cut, lapping at the blood carefully where the cut deepens, soothing it where it's shallow. He doesn't know how long it has been... but by the time he is finished, most of the blood is gone, the cut now just a glistening, ruby mouth in pale pinky flesh.

Carefully, he lowered Zexion's arm, about to tell him to hold it up while he tears off fabric from his own shirt to wrap it up temporarily but his jaw locks into position when their eyes meet. It really isn't hard to miss that Zexion is blushing hard, from near flawless, near angular cheeks all the way up to his ears. _Don't Demyx... he's not interested. He's probably still embarrassed about your amazing cock up earlier._ Even though he thinks this, it's hard not to stare and look at the man in finer detail.

Looking at Zexion is completely different to looking at him while he sleeps. He's sure that the attraction is partially to do with the X-class blood... but the other part is definitely on him. "Uhh..." He tries to say something, but words are failing him spectacularly. "You... um... you did good," he manages lamely. He glances at the book; his feelings towards it at this moment in time are very complicated. "You did really good."


	10. Sweet jealousy

**A/N:** Here we go again! No double update extravaganzas this time around, but please have some meaty bonding time with our favourite bloodsuckers and would-be sorcerer!

Thank you all for reading and reviewing the last two chapters! A thanks to **Ray** for the anon review! I hope you enjoy this new chapter! Reviews will be very much appreciated!

\- love from, Rosa xx

* * *

It was still all a bit of a blur for Zexion if he was honest. One minute he and the book were, for once, working together rather than the book just taking over completely. The next he was letting Demyx 'clean' the really rather big cut he received in all the commotion. Now they were surrounded by all sorts of people – and he uses the word quite loosely given there were still fully transformed werewolves skulking about irritably – and they're all trying to get to the bottom of just how on earth did a lone sorcerer manage to force their way into a heavily guarded site. Demyx is hovering, pestering a young blonde woman who was trying her best to heal Zexion's wound while being patient with the vampire. Leon and Axel aren't far away either, but it's clear to Zexion that it's disturbed them both how close they had been to losing their charge. Axel's not full of jokes, and Leon's looking even grimmer than Zexion's ever seen him.

In the meantime, between winces when the magic is stinging his arm and being told that while healing magic is brilliant for speeding up the process its not going to get rid of the scarring where the cut had been the deepest, he's watching the group of women and one or two men moving about, making gentle gestures. He can see the gossamer threads being gathered, weaved together, broken ones repaired carefully while others are pulled, forcing the gardens to go back to their previous splendour. It's strange... to see the world like this. Like it's just a living, breathing tapestry and the ethereal strands can be so easily pulled and slacked... knotted and snapped. He sometimes tries to catch Demyx's eye without him noticing, wondering if he could see it too, but he's not sure what sort of expression he's looking for.

"There," the woman in her soft-spoken voice murmured, carefully laying Zexion's arm back into his lap. "I managed to repair most of it, but I'm afraid you'll have that scar down the inside of your arm for life."

Zexion's thoughts are broken as he looks down at the jagged, bright white scar that crackles down from the inside of his wrist to half way down his forearm. It's still a lot to process... but this, he decided, would serve as a reminder of what he's going to be dealing with now. That sorcerer... there were going to be others like them. He looks up as feet come into view; they're his uncles's. "Zexion..."

"...you can't protect me from this," he murmured. It's a lot calmer than how he actually feels right now, but he knew there was no point in being angry. He looked up. "Uncle Lament... you need to tell me what you know. No more secrets."

It comes as a bit of a relief when his uncle does nod his head in understanding, but his hesitancy is obvious when he casts a glance over at Demyx. Zexion nods his head in wordless acknowledgement, looking over to the vampire who was _still_ hovering about like a mother hen. "Demyx... could you give us a moment."

"Are you-"

"Demyx. This is private."

It's almost comical how much Demyx doesn't even try to hide his reluctance, but he gives up without a fight. He just simply pats Zexion's shoulder and says, "I'll be with Leon and Axel." He left, still reluctant to, but he joined up with his blood brothers a short distance away.

It's just him and his uncle now. He turned to face him. "Alright... start from the beginning."

* * *

It's not a nice feeling he's getting as he watches Zexion and his uncle sitting next to each other and talking, his curiosity straining against self-imposed restraints to overhear what they're saying. However, he had his own problems to deal with. Mostly the problem that Leon was starting to pace. He hasn't seen Leon pace in years, but when it happens it normally means that there's a lot on his mind. He wondered if the Patriarch said something to him... or if what happened here has raised up even more questions and concerns that they have no answers for. He looked over to Axel, pursing his lips tightly. "We... we're fucked, aren't we?" he asks quietly.

"No shit," Axel muttered darkly. The dhampir was flicking his lighter irritably, creating fire and extinguishing it within seconds of life. "Just when you think we're sorted, this shit happens." He looked over to Demyx. "...it's a good thing you held your own out there though. We'd really be in the shitter if you were wiped out."

Demyx nodded his head. He couldn't argue with that sentiment, but it wasn't really all him. Not really. Zexion and the book had been the ones to get him out of his entanglement with the possessed ivy. His lips formed a tight frown at the thought... and at the memory of him nearly losing it when Zexion got hurt.

He's normally slow to anger, but he's aware of it when it does happen. His eyes normally glow anyway when he's the middle of using his hydrokinesis, but when they burn to the point it almost hurts, he knows he's losing control; not just of his powers but of himself too. It's happened only a few times before... and he's not sure he likes the person he becomes when he does get angry. "I don't... what will... what will happen to Zexion now?"

"...not sure," Leon muttered, having passed the pair in his pacing. "We could be looking at him spending an indefinite amount of time with that guy until we can make anywhere safe for Zexion."

Demyx looked at Leon, feeling his chest clench at the thought of being separated from the short human. Not just that though... looking at Leon reminded Demyx that Leon had drank from Zexion before. An emergency, yes, but still... the little gremlins of jealousy were doing bad things to his heart and mind. After all, if _Leon_ had been there, Zexion wouldn't have got hurt. Zexion wouldn't have that scar on his arm. Zexion might even not have had to resort to using the book.

Sometimes he really hated how practically perfect his maker was. He'd even put Mary Poppins to shame. "We'll still be protecting him though, right?"

"Well... I can say that the Council still believes that we're his best chance," Leon revealed, stopping his pacing for a moment. "Even though Zexion did get injured, you held your own against a sorcerer. That has to count for something." He then turned to his two blood brothers. "On top of that, between the three of us, we have two talented elemental kinesis users and someone who has two Esper Marks. Granted it won't always be easy, but we'll be getting stronger all the time."

"Yeah... no offence Leon, but I'm pretty sure the Council is probably going to be putting bigger guns on this." Axel shrugged his shoulders lightly. "Three _incredibly_ talented vampires might be good against one sorcerer, but what are we gonna do if the numbers are against us?"

"Actually, that happens to be why I've come to you three," Joshua's voice broke through the heavy atmosphere. Even Leon jolted at the youthful looking daemon appearing in their group so suddenly. Joshua's dark eyes smiled at Demyx; he shied away meekly. "I must say, I'm impressed that your childe managed to fend off a sorcerer. You've obviously raised him right."

"...what do want Joshua?" Leon asked evenly.

"I just wanted to tell you that the Coucil believes that a bigger guard might be necessary."

"So we'll take in more of our clan members. I have plenty of potential candidates." Demyx already had an idea of who Leon meant: Seifer and his two cronies, Yuffie, Aerith at a push, and then if they were really struggling there was always Tifa, even if she was only an honorary clan member.

"Oh no, that won't do. We believe you'll need a wider variety of skills to your rather already impressive selection." Joshua started to inspect his nails. "The Organisation have proven that they will use any means necessary now, even sending out their members rather than Nobodies. That means you'll be up against a variety of magic."

Demyx and Axel both looked at Leon. The Noblesse was not looking best pleased about having to extend out of their clan, but he wasn't resisting the notion. "...you have anyone in mind?"

"Well, to give Lament and the Overseers a little piece of mind, I did suggest the cousin and his partner." Sora and Riku. Alright. That was a given. Plus Demyx had seen their teamwork in action. Fine. Good. They could work with that. "We also have a werewolf in mind."

"What...?" Axel aked the question lowly. Demyx could feel him bristling with tension. He'd have to ask Axel what his problem with lycanthropes was.

"A member of Beast's pack?" Leon asked.

"No. A lone wolf. Works as a delivery boy during the day, but Beast's pack has been keeping an eye on him for a while now. He's not ordinary... and extraordinary is what we need right now."

Leon looked very perplexed about that, but he waved it off dismissively. "So a group of six?"

"With potential to grow." Joshua smiled lightly. "For now though, we're going to be working on getting Zexion safe passage to Yen Sid's place. That might mean a visit to the Fae Realm but... we'll see if there's a more convenient way of getting him there."

Leon only nodded his head. Demyx was letting this all sink in, inwardly glad that it seemed that there wouldn't be anymore vampires getting involved with their group. He was still trying to adjust to his growing attractions and knee jerk reactions to anything concerning Zexion. He didn't need another vampire who _might_ feel cocky trying to muscle in on a seemingly claimed X-class. Oh no... that would bring up just more issues.

Maybe he should talk to Leon privately about this. Even if he was jealous of Leon's potential of being a better protector for Zexion, he was still his maker.

"Alright. Fine." Leon answered when it became clear Joshua wanted a spoken answer and not a gestured one. "You know what we're dealing with better than most so... so I'll trust your judgement on this."

"Trusting mine over your own grandfather's?"

"...we're having a disagreement," Leon grumbled. That normally meant that there was friction between the pair, running deeper than either would ever let on. Not always a good thing as dissent amongst Noblesses usually meant changes within the clan could be imminent. "At least you're a third party in all this rather than connected so intrinsically."

"Ahh, the benefits of being the bystander," Joshua chuckled. He then turned on his heel. "You'll hear about the werewolf in due course. For now, just concentrate on making your new friend comfortable. It looks like he just had a very difficult conversation with his uncle."

Demyx's head snapped around, looking over to where uncle and nephew were sitting. Zexion was already pretty pale, but he nearly looked completely white in this moment. Lament's head was being cradled by his hands, as if ashamed of some horrible secret he had been keeping. _Well, he did keep Zexion forcibly unaware for years..._ He made to go but he felt Axel's bony hand grab his wrist. He turned to the redhead, seeing him shake his head. "Let him come to us. They might still be talking."

"But-!"

"Dem... I get how you're feeling, but don't." Axel sighed, letting go of Demyx and running his long fingers through his hair. "Shit... this is so fucked up... having to work with a werewolf... and a lone one at that..."

Joshua had since left them now, meaning that Leon could return to their side. He put a hand on Axel's shoulder, looking at him with a meaningful look. "...I know about your... distrust for werewolves but our hands are tied if the Council's decided on this."

"...I know..." Axel muttered. "...I know..." He then took a deep breath. "Guess I'll have to figure out my best doggy insults, right?"

"Axel..."

"Oh give me that at least! Humour's my coping mechanism!"

"Did something bad happen to you involving a werewolf?" The question had been out faster than Demyx had time to stop himself, causing the blond to slap a hand over his mouth. Axel just stared at him, bright emerald eyes looking like he had just seen a ghost... and then suddenly they were back to normal, yet there was a false cheerfulness, a smile that seemed forced, inside them.

"Ah you know the usual. Vampires and werewolves not mixing. I mean maaaaan you weren't even a twinkle in your Pa's eye Dem! I hadn't even met Leon! Dude, course werewolves and vampires were out for each other's throats. History for ya!"

Demyx _knew_ Axel was purposely avoiding answering the question. Curiosity piqued, he opened his mouth to ask more, but Leon stopped the conversation dead in it's tracks. "Zexion's coming over to us."

At the mere mention of his name, Demyx had swiftly turned himself towards the smaller human, giving him one of his reassuring smiles. Zexion was still pale, eyes locked firmly on the ground, hidden away by his bangs. "Hey... everything o...kaaaaaaaaay?"

Zexion's head thumped against his shoulder; Demyx looked down with a confused expression, though deep down... his stomach was doing backflips of happiness that Zexion had chosen _him_ over anyone else to be like this. "...wanna talk about it?" Zexion shook his head in response, shoulders slumping. Demyx looked over to Leon, his hands subconsciously moving around Zexion's waist. The poor boy looked like he could do with a hug. "Maybe we should get him out of here."

"Clan grounds?" Leon asked.

"I don't know about you guys, but I could do with a stiff drink," Axel grumbled. "So could he."

"We're not taking Zexion to a bar," Demyx said flatly. "That'll be for later."

"Actually... a drink sounds good right now..." Zexion mumbled into his shoulder. Demyx blinked at that, but he decided that he was going to be firm on this.

"No bars. Just home. And whatever we've got there."

"When did you get so bossy?" Axel hummed, raising one short eyebrow in amusement.

Demyx spluttered at that. "I-! I'm not!"

Leon sighed heavily, rolling his eyes. "Let's just get home."

* * *

It took a while. Leon had to talk his way into getting permission for them to leave the castle, with promises of heading straight to DiZ Corp and putting the clan on high alert for the rest of the night. They also had to keep a low profile which, once again, meant the underground only with enough warding charms on them to even cause fae folk to avoid them. Though it was difficult to keep a low profile when three out of four of them were alert for anything suspicious, and the underground would become the night time domain of the supernatural.

Demyx kept his arms firmly clamped around Zexion, purposely parking his chin on the top of the human's head as he glared at anyone that even glanced at them funny. His stance was firm, legs spread apart and his body easily tilting along with the movement of the train while they leant against the cushioned lean-to spots. Leon and Axel were sticking close as well, protective sunglasses hiding away their own paranoid glares, ignoring how pompous they probably looked wearing sunglasses at _night_. In short, he wasn't really sure they were at all inconspicuous.

Zexion had been quiet the entire time, practically ragdoll-like as he was guided carefully. Whatever it was that his uncle had told him, it obviously had been difficult to swallow. Demyx knew that he couldn't force him to talk if he didn't want to... but he was worried.

He sighed as the train slowed at their stop, removing his chin from its perch while sliding one arm away, the other moving to rest on the small of Zexion's back lightly; enough that Zexion wouldn't feel claustrophobic but also have the assurances that they wouldn't be separated. In his head though, he was thinking of ways that he'd hope would cheer the human up, especially since he doubted they'd be going out much until they heard confirmation of a more 'convenient' way to that safe haven.

He could understand why the reluctance to use the normal way of going through the Fae Realm. In order to get into the Fae Realm itself, one had to go to Disneyland Theme Park just outside of the city. Plus there was no guarantee that the fae folk living and working there would let them through; if they felt that their property and lands were in danger, they'd reject Zexion outright. Added to that that the Organisation might have someone tail them... yeah, there were too many possibilities for things to go tits up.

Still, he had thought, it might have been fun to take Zexion there. Maybe another time. If there was going to be another time.

"Demyx. Step."

"Oh!" Demyx lifted his foot in time, giving Zexion's side a small squeeze to get him to focus. Not that he really needed to because Zexion's eyes had been transfixed to the floor, meaning that his feet were a bit more coordinated. Demyx glanced up and gave a small, grateful smile to Axel who just waved it off dismissively.

Unfortunately, their otherwise unremarkable trip from Courtyard to Postern was about to get a bit of delay. Demyx thoroughly blamed himself for getting lost in his thoughts for this one while they were moving through Postern station, but Zexion pulled away for a moment. Demyx had stopped to watch where Zexion was going, realising he was going to the public restrooms. He had, for the briefest of seconds, considered following him in but he did wonder if maybe Zexion needed some space. Besides... it'd be a bit weird for him to follow, wouldn't it? Even if they did look like boyfriends to the rest of the world... _And once again you're getting hung up on the 'boyfriend' thing. Suck it up Demyx. He's not interested and in no position to be-_

He's shocked back to reality when he hears a yell coming from within the restrooms. A yell that he's become _very_ familiar with. Leon and Axel had only just realised that they were short of two people in their group, but they had barely seen a blur of Demyx rushing into the men's restrooms.

What he sees solidifies in Demyx's mind that Zexion just _could not_ be left alone. A hulking, muscly man with jet black hair tied back in a low ponytail had Zexion cornered. Demyx could see that Zexion was trying to make himself as small as possible, could hear the whispered sweet nothings being used as a seduction technique... and Demyx saw red.

The man might have been the bigger and stronger one here, but Demyx was definitely the faster and more agile one. He was pushing the man away from Zexion and putting himself firmly in between them, teal eyes glowering. As expected, the man had taken offence, revealing sharp vampire fangs with a hiss. "Back off," Demyx warned lowly, revealing his own fangs with a snarl. He could feel his eyes burning, which he had hoped that the sight of a pair of glowing eyes would tell this vampire to stay away.

He was not so lucky. The vampire stalked over, looking ready to throw Demyx to the side as if he were nothing. If this guy thought he was some run of the mill, low-ranked Cavaliere, he had another thing coming. As soon as the vampire's hand lifted up to swat him away, Demyx's hand immediately caught the fist, his glare intensifying. "Back. Off," he warned again.

"What you going to do? You're in _my_ hunting grounds. That means _I_ get the pick of the best."

"Oh is that how it works now?" Leon's cold voice echoed in the room. It wasn't just his voice that was cold; Demyx could feel the drop in temperature. Leon was using Shiva in tandem with his own built-in ability to subdue vampires lower than him. Not a skill he used very often, but Demyx was so glad to see him using it now. The vampire turned, eyes wide in shock. "Let me guess... Clan Beaumont? And you saying you're the best must mean that you're its leader." Leon was stalking over to him; Axel wasn't in the room but Demyx gathered he was probably guarding the entry point to stop people from getting inside. "A small time vampire clan that only survives because of the ego of its leader. Pitiful. You only _barely_ make the mark of a Lorde."

It had happened faster than Demyx could blink, but the offending vampire was pinned by his throat on the floor, Leon's booted foot pressing against where the windpipes were. It wouldn't kill the vampire, but passing out from asphyxiation was definitely a threat. "If I ever _smell_ or _hear_ you come within fifty feet of the boy, I will personally take your fangs and make them into necklace pendants. Then I'll see to it that you won't be able to walk again let alone hunt. Got that?" Demyx felt a shiver go down his spine; he'd only seen Leon threaten violence a few times, but the promise of making good on his frosty words always permeated the air when he said them.

Noblesses never made empty threats. And this vampire Lorde clearly understood that as he enthusiastically nodded his head and gestured wildly for Leon to get off his throat. Leon's lips curled up into a cruel smirk, slowly releasing the pressure off the vampire's throat before stepping away. The atmosphere did not warm up though; Demyx swore there was frost starting to form on the mirrors. "Good. Get lost."

The vampire didn't need any second bidding, a blur of red shirt and black hair as he scuttled away. Demyx heard Axel singing in a breathy tone despite no one but the trained ears of a vampire being able to hear. "Noooo... oneeeeee... runs like Gaston~ Cries in tongues like Gaston~ No one could have possibly sweat tons like Gaston~" ***** Leon sighed heavily, the atmosphere warming up as quickly as it had frozen, rolling his eyes as Axel strolled in, still singing mild insults about the vampire Lorde. "As a specimen he's quite pathetic really~ My, what a guy, that Gaston~"

"Any excuse?" Leon queried.

"Any excuse," Axel grinned. Demyx held back a weak smile, turning around to check up on Zexion... and seeing that he was shaking.

"Zexion...?"

"...that... that was terrifying..." Zexion looked up at Demyx, yet there was something in his eyes that wasn't... it wasn't exactly fear. Okay, yes, he obviously had been taken by surprise by Gaston but... but was that a brief moment of amusement? "Does... does Axel always sing like that about people he doesn't like?"

Demyx's face brightened up. _Thank you Axel for being such a jerky dork!_ "Sometimes for the people he _does_ like," he beamed. "...are you okay? He didn't hurt you did he?"

"Ah... no. Just surprised me." Zexion took a deep shuddering sigh. "Thanks... for helping me." He looked over to Leon and Axel. The brunet just gave him a rare smile in return while Axel shrugged, "Always happy to help bruise a few creepy, jerky egos."

"Well... now that that's over with, we really should get going," Leon stated. "The longer we stay out, the more we're just asking for trouble."

Demyx nodded his head but he was more concerned about Zexion. They definitely needed to get to DiZ Corp, and soon. "I'm not... being too much with the arm around you, am I?"

"Huh? Oh... no. It's not that." Zexion's left hand unconsciously raised up to hold his right forearm. "I've had a lot on my mind so I... I just needed a moment to think. I forgot about the whole... you know... X-class thing."

 _Ah, I guess that makes sense... he has been through a lot in three days._ "If you need a moment alone, just let one of us know, okay? We need to make sure you're gonna be safe." Demyx smiled a little... though really, in his heart of undead hearts, he would have preferred it if Zexion just relied on him. _Annnnnnnd there's the possessive thoughts coming through again._ This was then followed by another worrying thought: _I wonder if Leon gets these feelings too..._

* * *

Zexion thought he would have been more bothered by being accosted by another vampire that had openly called him an X-class, but in reality, he wasn't. Considering everything that he'd been told and experienced... getting approached like that seemed no more surprising than getting harassed by a normal person. Hell, being harassed for his blood seemed as bad if not worse than being publicly molested in a restroom.

Which he supposed, in human terms, that was probably what it would have looked like.

It really wasn't any surprise that Demyx was getting overprotective again either after the event. Not that he really minded he realised. The vampire was very sweet after all – not at all like the typical bad boy, brooding and mysterious stereotypes that were so prevalent (that seemed more like Leon) – and Zexion had to admit that he felt safe around him. He might not be the strongest, or the smartest, and he definitely couldn't hold a candle to Leon, yet... yet Demyx had been there from the beginning, doing his best and reassuring him whenever something difficult came up. Yes, okay, maybe basing this off the past three days of knowing someone was a bit hasty, but Zexion just had a strong feeling that he'd be fine so long as Demyx was nearby.

An odd thought to have, when logistically he had a better rate of survival by relying on Leon given all of his talents and status in vampire society.

"Hey, we're here," Demyx's voice broke through the fog of his thoughts.

Zexion blinked rapidly, realising they were standing in front of DiZ Corp. A sense of relief washed over him, though he remembered that even these clan grounds were attacked only just yesterday. "So we are... now what?"

"It'd be best that you rest up," Leon answered before Demyx got the chance to. "You did well withstanding the book's power, but it doesn't hurt to be well rested."

"Meanwhile... me and Leon are going to grab some stuff," Axel added, throwing an arm around Leon's shoulder. The Noblesse jumped slightly from the suddenness of the move, turning to him with a frown and a questioning, "We are?"

"Wait, what?" Demyx blinked.

"Come on Leon. Let's leave the boyfriends to some quality time after such a traumatic experience for them," Axel grinned.

Zexion quickly cast his eyes down and he could feel Demyx was shuffling lightly on his feet while purposefully not looking at him. He could feel Leon's eyes on them.

"Boy... friends?"

"Axel... did you have to bring that up..." Demyx muttered.

"When did...?"

"Come on Leon. Let's leave the lovebirds to it~" Axel was already starting to herd Leon away from DiZ Corp, ignoring the protests coming from the brunet. Most of which followed along the lines of 'when the hell did that happen?!'

"...geez...the big jerk..." Demyx murmured, pulling Zexion along inside. Zexion's gaze remained firmly on the ground, marvelling at the fact that the marble flooring of DiZ Corp's main entrance hall looked impeccable despite the battle that took place on it. He didn't even acknowledge the triplets greeting them, Demyx instead mumbling embarrassed greetings to them as they got into the elevator. "Um... so... I guess we'll be going to our floor... um... do you want to sleep? I'll keep watch... oh but maybe we should get you something to eat... I mean, you haven't eaten in a while and..." He just kept rambling.

"...Demyx, can I ask you something?"

"Huh! Yeah! Sure! Anything you want! Within reason!"

"Did it really bother you when Marluxia... thought you were my boyfriend? Because you only needed to correct him if you're not-"

"Oh no no! It's nothing like that! I've had two hundred plus years to figure that sort of thing out after all..." He then sighed and shuffled. "I sorta went with it because it'd be kinda weird if I told a normie that I'm a vampire that's protecting you from some group of rogue sorcerers."

"You could have said you were an old friend of mine."

"Ah... well, guess I could have." Demyx looked over to Zexion. "...did it bother you?"

"Marluxia's well aware of my sexual preferences. He wouldn't have asked otherwise." Demyx blinked at that answer, as if it only just dawned on him why Marluxia would ask that. Zexion merely shrugged.

"Ohhhhhhh..." Demyx scratched the back of his neck. "Well... um... I guess that means neither of us have a reason to feel uncomfortable about it then... though Axel's going to be a jerk about it for weeks."

"I'm not too worried about that," Zexion replied. "I mean... there are more important things to be concerned with than our love lives, or lack thereof in this case."

He caught Demyx stiffen slightly... then he relaxed and gave him an easy smile. "Yeah, I suppose you're right." The elevator dinged, the doors opening on the second penthouse floor. They both walked out, but this time Demyx didn't put a hand on him to guide him about. "Um, so I'm gonna see if we've got anything edible for you. I... I really think you ought to eat something."

"But I'm not-"

"Please Zex..." The tone of voice Demyx used took Zexion off guard; not so much a plea per se, but there is the plea mixed in with the command. It's nothing like his aunt's pleading with him to eat when he was much younger... because at least with his aunt, he could resist it. Demyx's voice though... he just... can't.

"...fine..." He's defeated. "You win."

"Great~" Demyx beamed, his hand swooping down to take Zexion's. He nearly dragged him all the way to the penthouse's kitchen – a modern affair with clean cut lines and high-end kitchen equipment, all in black with pristine marble white counter tops. Very swanky, Zexion thought. "Let's see..." Demyx mused, head disappearing into a tall fridge. Zexion had since managed to escape from Demyx's grasp and had himself seated at one of the bar stools at the kitchen island. "O class blood... no good... healthy crap that Leon insists on eating... Axel's stash of chilli peppers... avoid because probably going to burn head off... aha! This'll do!"

Zexion could only blink when Demyx comes over to him, bringing over a pizza box. "Leftover pizza? Really?"

"Yeah. Margherita though, which I know is like the vanilla flavour of the pizza world, but you'd be hard pressed to find many people who don't like it." Demyx placed it down. "I can heat it up if you prefer."

"How long has that box been in there for?"

"Oh, since last night. Sora and Riku were really hungry after what happened, and Axel had pretty much made Leon eat something with loads of carbs for once since he was recovering." Demyx started when Zexion reached over and flipped the box open. He considered the choices – four slices, two of which were bigger, one was average size, and one which had clearly been cut into a small piece. He picked the last one, hesitantly bringing it to his mouth before forcing himself to bite down.

He had to admit that Demyx's description of it being the 'vanilla flavour of the pizza world' was actually pretty apt. It tasted even more bland when cold... but he was okay with that. He chewed slowly. He couldn't help but notice the bright smile forming on Demyx's face at seeing him eat. _It's not that big of a deal..._ Though his stomach was already protesting at getting too little food and far too slowly for its liking, his mind was adept at ignoring it. "...are Axel and Leon together?"

"Together? What do you mean? Like... _together_ together?"

"Dating, yes."

"Oh geezus no! Could you imagine that?!" Demyx was howling with laughter. "Axel's way too much of a player that I'm pretty sure he's lost count of how many people he's been with, and I've _never_ seen Leon even entertain the thought of a romantic relationship. Heck, I don't know if he's gay, straight, bi or anything!" His eyes widened and his hands suddenly slapped against his cheeks, lips open. "Oh...! He could be a demi... or an ace... maybe a pan?"

"You've never asked?"

"It's not something you ask your maker!" Demyx whined. "I mean... that's like asking your parents what kinda kinky stuff they get up to when they get their freak on!"

"...I think I understand what you're trying to say, but I think you've also slightly exaggerated the explanation," Zexion hummed. If anything, trying to find out if one's parents were into sexual deviances of a sort was surely more mortifying than trying to find out a preference, right? "But they aren't? I just thought that since Axel seems to care a lot about Leon..."

"Ah, that's normal for them. Leon's good at taking care of others, but he's not brilliant at taking care of himself sometimes. Plus... well, the details about how Leon and Axel met in the first place are a little sketchy, but I get the feeling that Axel owes a lot to Leon." Demyx shrugged. "Axel doesn't talk a lot about his past to anyone. I think Leon's really the only one who knows. Well... knows more than others that is." He nudged Zexion lightly. "C'mon, keep eating. At least finish that slice."

"Hey don't rush me! I'm just... trying to enjoy it," Zexion frowned heavily. He then narrowed his eyes. "How about you eat as well. I thought you loved food."

Demyx blinked. "Well I do but... you need this more than I do."

"Demyx... at least drink the blood you've got in your fridge or something." Zexion looked away a little; two could play the pleading-but-not-really card. "I might... feel a bit more comfortable if you're doing it rather than just watching me..." He wondered if he sounded coy enough.

Turned out that he did because Demyx was immediately reaching for one of the bigger slices. "A-Alright then. If it's gonna help..." His mouth opened wide violently, revealing his set of eight fangs, as he took a gigantic bite, nearly tearing it apart. Zexion nearly dropped his own slice in shock at the savagery. Demyx started chewing thoughtfully. "Mmm... yeah, definitely the 'vanilla' of pizza," he mused. "...I think I prefer pineapple. With bacon. Ham. Lots of cheese... and A-class blood. Yeah. Perfect pizza right there."

"...I think I'd pass on that," Zexion replied, the thought of such a concoction, with or without the blood, making him feel sick. He thought he might gag right now if it weren't for the fact that his stomach didn't have much to push up anyway.

"The blood thing? Or you against pineapple?"

"The whole thing just makes my stomach turn anyway." He grimaced as the rather morbid image continued to bounce around in his mind. "You... you really like sweet things, don't you."

"Yeah. A-class was the first blood I ever drank from a human back in the day... and well, it sorta went from there."

"Wait... A type... I mean... A-class blood tastes _sweet_?"

"To vampires, yeah. Our taste buds act differently to everyone else's. We can tell the difference easily."

"What... what does my blood taste like?" Zexion asked, almost too scared to know.

The smile he got from Demyx was one of his bright, reassuring ones that was starting to have a distinct calming effect on Zexion already. "Brothy, rich, but sweet. It's really comforting." He leaned over and patted Zexion's shoulder. "It's like... hmm... it's like getting a homecooked dinner."

He didn't know how he felt about that... but he guessed, judging by the warmth in Demyx's words, it was meant as a compliment.

* * *

It took at least two hours for Zexion to eat and fall asleep, exhaustion finally catching up with him. Demyx had to admit it was catching up to him as well, but he stayed up a little longer, taking the time to move Zexion from their living room into... well, initially he was going to leave him in a guest bedroom, but given the circumstances... and the fact that the Organisation had a thus far proven track record of getting into places they really shouldn't be getting into... yeah, that was how a slumbering Zexion was now tucked up in _his_ bed. Demyx was just lying next to him, his body on top of the covers.

He knew he should be fine. He had drank the O-class in the fridge just to keep himself topped up, so Zexion wasn't in danger of being very poorly seduced or suggested into being fed from. In his mind, he was sure that Leon and Axel would be back soon – Axel probably got his way about getting something strong if he pestered Leon enough. So... a bit of sleep would be fine, right? He hadn't had a lot of it after all...

He turned onto his side, looking at Zexion and finding himself studying him in greater detail again... yeah, looking at an awake Zexion was better, but a sleeping Zexion looking so at peace despite everything was rewarding in its own way too. It just meant that he had managed to keep Zexion's mind off of things, if only for a while.

He dared to reach out and stroke the soft angle of his cheek, revelling in how warm it felt against his cooled fingertips. Was it really possible that... Zexion wasn't at all offended by the whole 'boyfriend' thing? He had been sure he had been... hell, he was pretty sure if Zexion was going to be involved with anyone in that way, it'd surely be Leon. So... _maybe there is a chance?_ He recoiled, mostly from the thought, but also because Zexion had moved for a moment before settling again.

 _You're getting ahead of yourself again Demyx... besides, just because he didn't mind it doesn't mean he's going to open to it._ He sighed, turning onto his back to stare at the ceiling. _He might only like you as a friend... so don't rock the boat. Don't let those weird 'mine' thoughts get to you._

He tilted his head back towards Zexion, but he was looking past him and over to the book that was lying innocently on the bedside table. "...I still don't trust you," he glowered at it. "You may have helped Zexion, but there's no way I'm going to trust you."

The book said nothing back. Not that it could anyway.

* * *

 ***** I couldn't resist... sorry-not-sorry haha (its fun adapting lyrics!) Also! Fun Fact! Beaumont is a reference to French author Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, who is the one responsible for adapting _Beauty and the Beast_ from Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot du Villeneuve's original version. (That should do us for Beauty and the Beast references for now)


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